HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Air Travel

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the amount of  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul air mileage of hon. Members used to calculate the House payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund was in each year that the House has been a member of the Offsetting Fund.

Nick Harvey: The House has made an annual payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund since 2006-07. The figures requested are as follows:
	
		
			  Miles 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			 Domestic 1,965,156 1,689,817 
			 Short haul 1,561,170 1,726,554 
			 Long haul 4,743,821 4,305,546

Commuters: Sustainable Development

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will develop a workplace travel plan to reduce the environmental impact of travel by House staff.

Nick Harvey: Staff are encouraged to use bicycles through the provision of bicycle loans and cycle racks, and are encouraged to use public transport through the provision of season ticket loans. The possibility of developing a sustainable travel to work policy will be considered as part of developing the House's environmental strategy.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has paid to the Cooperative Wholesale Society or its farming division in respect of  (a) UK and  (b) EU payments for the production at its Stoughton Farm Estate in Harborough of (i) wheat, (ii) barley, (iii) oats, (iv) other cereal crops, (v) oil seed rape, (vi) beans and (vii) all other arable farm produce in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and in each case what tonnage was in respect of which the payment was made.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 28 October 2008
	Arable area payments were made under the arable area payments scheme (AAPS), which were based on payments per hectare and not by commodity or weight.
	In 2005 they were replaced by payments under the single payment scheme (SPS).
	AAPS and SPS information is not held specifically for Stoughton Farm Estate and to extract it is not possible without incurring disproportionate costs.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public funding is being provided to each Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 2008-09; and what account is taken of the size of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in determining the allocation of funding to them.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The responsibility for funding Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) rests with Natural England and Defra would not interfere in the decisions Natural England takes in setting the budget of any AONB.
	The funding for AONBs consists of three elements: core funding for staff and essential administrative costs; projects; and the Sustainable Development Fund. In 2008-09 Natural England has been able to add 2 per cent. to AONB core grants. Core funding is based on a formula which, among other factors, takes into account the area of each AONB. However, funding for projects has had to be prioritised to those of highest importance and those which AONB partnerships are locked into, such as Heritage Lottery Fund schemes. As for the Sustainable Development Fund, each AONB can bid for up to £61,666 from Natural England. There is, therefore, no strict correlation between the area of any one AONB and the amount of total funding it receives and it is inappropriate to relate the total funding of any AONB to its area.
	The total funding being provided by Natural England to each of the AONBs for 2008-09 is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Arnside and Silverdale 180,871 
			 Blackdown Hills 213,481 
			 Cannock Chase 185,968 
			 Chichester Harbour 188,816 
			 Chilterns 570,638 
			 Cornwall 235,666 
			 Cotswolds 577,926 
			 Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs 295,501 
			 DedhamVale 202,174 
			 Dorset 314,510 
			 East Devon 205,542 
			 Forest of Bowland 282,639 
			 High Weald 347,067 
			 Howardian Hills 157,666 
			 Isle of Wight 178,177 
			 Isles of Scilly 159,536 
			 Kent Downs 303,727 
			 Lincolnshire Wolds 207,343 
			 Malvern Hiils 186,771 
			 Mendip Hills 213,459 
			 Nidderdale 229,809 
			 Norfolk Coast 198,733 
			 North Devon 186,652 
			 North Pennines 412,846 
			 North Wessex Downs 315,422 
			 Northumberland Coast 178,679 
			 Quantock Hills 207,941 
			 Shropshire Hills 251,306 
			 Solway Coast 177,583 
			 South Devon 202,381 
			 South Downs (Sussex Downs and East Hampshire) 1,049,961 
			 Suffolk Coasts and Heaths 212,371 
			 Surrey Hills 238,186 
			 Tamar Valley 245,166 
			 Wye Valley 168,166 
			 Total 9,482,683

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on its communications campaign to promote uptake of the bluetongue vaccination in each year since its inception.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 10 November 2008
	In line with the core group of industry stakeholders, the Government consider that mass vaccination through the 2008 programme for Bluetongue type 8 (the only programme so far) can be best and most rapidly achieved through a voluntary approach, supported by an industry-led campaign promoting the benefits of vaccination. DEFRA has contributed to the industry campaign by giving prominence to bluetongue messages in its existing communications channels, e.g. website, advertising in farming press and campaigns such as Livestock Market Roadshows and the website-based 'Give Disease the Boot' campaign. In addition, DEFRA has worked with the Animal Health Agency to alert local veterinary surgeons and others to the availability of vaccine as it has been rolled out across England.
	These costs for bluetongue vaccination campaigns are not available separately. However, the overall indicative budget for Livestock Markets Roadshows and Animal Disease Prevention communications (excluding publications, Farming Link and shows) is £400,000 in the current financial year. In the 2007-08 financial year, the total spend amounted to approximately £280,000.

Carbon Emissions: New Forest

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the carbon footprint of the New Forest National Park was in the latest period for which figures are available; and  (a) by what means and  (b) to what extent it will be reduced if the draft Recreation Management Strategy is adopted;
	(2)  whether it is the policy of the New Forest National Park Authority to include traffic on the A31 trunk road within the calculation of its carbon footprint.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answers 16 and 17 October 2008
	Carbon footprint figures are not currently available by National Park boundary. There are technical hurdles to producing such figures which DEFRA is currently exploring, and I shall write to the hon. Member before the end of the year to report progress.
	The Recreation Management Strategy is being produced by the National Park Authority who (subject to the technical constraints mentioned above) would be responsible for assessing its impact.

Combined Heat and Power: Government Departments

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the electricity consumption that the Government sources from combined heat and power is obtained from combined heat and power stations located on the Government estate.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	There are 10 combined heat and power (CHP) schemes located on the Government estate registered with the Government's CHP Quality Assurance programme (CHPQA). In 2007-08 these 10 schemes produced just over 19 gigawatt hours of Good Quality CHP electricity. This represents around 0.1 per cent. of the 28,677 gigawatts electricity produced in total by Good Quality CHP plants in the UK in 2007.
	Early information from the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) as part of its annual Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) report indicates that total CHP generated electricity consumed on the Government estate in 2007-08 was 311 gigawatt hours. This would mean that the 19 gigawatt hours of Good Quality CHP electricity generated on the Government estate represents round 6 per cent. of the total CHP electricity consumed on the Government estate in 2007-08.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what personal training courses at public expense he has undertaken since his appointment.

Hilary Benn: None.

Wood: Sustainable Development

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to the introduction of binding regulations to provide that timber used in new buildings is sourced in a legal and sustainable manner.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK Government's Forest Governance and Trade Programme aims to tackle illegal logging and trade associated with it. It works to promote governance reforms in developing countries where illegal logging is a problem, and to improve the functioning of markets for wood products. Efforts focus on negotiating and implementing bilateral Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between timber-producing countries and the EU, as part of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan.
	The European Commission published recently a proposal for legislation requiring traders in timber to exercise due diligence to ensure that the timber they buy and sell is legally harvested. Once the regulation is agreed, the new requirements will ensure that legally harvested timber only is traded in the EU.
	The UK has lobbied hard for Community-wide measures to exclude illegal timber from the European market. This legislation will support the Government's efforts under the FLEGT Action Plan, which provides support to timber-producing countries who have problems with illegal logging to verify the legality of timber exports. The UK seeks to work in collaboration with other EU member states in preference to unilaterally introducing binding regulations.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Consultants

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid to consultants by his Department in each year since 1998-99.

Shaun Woodward: The following table provides details of the Northern Ireland Office's expenditure on consultants (excluding Agencies and Executive NDPBs) since 2002-03:
	
		
			   Consultancy expenditure (£) 
			 2002-03 3,683,447 
			 2003-04 4,268,556 
			 2004-05 4,557,883 
			 2005-06 6,169,360 
			 2006-07 5,153,102 
			 2007-08 5,048,116 
		
	
	The value of payments for consultancy prior to 2002-03 would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people who were not born in the United Kingdom his Department employs.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold a central record of how many people who were not born in the United Kingdom are employed within the Department.

Departmental Mass Media

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which organisations provided media monitoring services to  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three years; and what the total cost was of each contract over that period.

Paul Goggins: Details of organisations which provided media monitoring services to the Northern Ireland Office, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are included in the following table:
	
		
			  Cost by financial year (including VAT) 
			  £ 
			  Organisation  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Anderson Spratt Group(1) 282 846 846 
			 NIMMS(2) — 327 4,438 
			 E Map Services(2) 523 — 2,555 
			 News Extract(2) 512 3,756 1,235 
			 Energy Data Services(3) 23,663 2,600 — 
			 Stakeholder Communications Ltd.(4) 65,106.50 76,438.04 57,370.21 
			 (1) Commissioned by Youth Justice Agency. (2) Commissioned by Probation Board N.I. (3) Commissioned by Northern Ireland Information Service. (4) Commissioned by Parades Commission.

Departmental Older Workers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people over the age of  (a) 55 and  (b) 60 work for his Department; and what percentage of employees these groups represent.

Paul Goggins: Within the Northern Ireland Office 252 staff are aged 55 and over. This represents 12 per cent. of the total number of staff. The number of staff aged 60 and over is 74, this represents 3 per cent. of the total number of staff.

Departmental Pay

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 30 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1169-70W.

Female Staff

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of employees working for his Department are female.

Paul Goggins: As at 1 November 2008, 62 per cent. of employees within the Northern Ireland Office are female.

Fingerprints

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many times suspects have been wrongfully arrested in Northern Ireland on the basis of mistaken belief by police officers of identity that was later found to be incorrect after fingerprinting in the last 12 months;
	(2)  whether he plans to introduce MIDAS handheld fingerprint scanners for use by police officers in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Judges: Appointments

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the criteria will be for the appointment of judges in Northern Ireland following the devolution of policing and justice.

Paul Goggins: Under section 5 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002, the selection of a person for judicial office, within the remit of the Judicial Appointments Commission for Northern Ireland (up to and including High Court judge), is to be made solely on the basis of merit. Subject to that, the Commission is to engage in a programme of action to secure as far as reasonably practicable that those holding judicial office are reflective of the community in Northern Ireland. The requirements of section 5 apply both before and after the devolution of policing and justice.

Parades: Belfast

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reports he has received of the behaviour of some participants in the Belfast Pride Parade on 2 August 2008 towards those who were protesting against the parade.

Paul Goggins: The Secretary of State did not receive any reports on the behaviour of participants in the Belfast Pride Parade. Monitors in attendance at the parade would have reported directly to the Parades Commission.

Police

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers there were in Northern Ireland per 1,000 population in  (a) 2002 and  (b) 2007.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Public Relations

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was paid to public relations companies by his Department in each year since 1998-99.

Shaun Woodward: The following table provides details of the Northern Ireland Office's expenditure on external contracts with public relations companies (excluding Agencies and Executive NDPBs) since 2002-03:
	
		
			   Value of contracts (£) 
			 2002-03 39,672 
			 2003-04 160,397 
			 2004-05 153,723 
			 2005-06 91,858 
			 2006-07 140,806 
			 2007-08 121,504 
		
	
	The value of external contracts with public relations companies prior to 2002-03 would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Tourism

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had in order to promote Northern Ireland as a tourist destination to the rest of the United Kingdom.

Shaun Woodward: I always take the opportunity to promote Northern Ireland as a tourism destination whenever circumstances permit. However, tourism is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has formal responsibility for the marketing and development of Northern Ireland tourism.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day he has answered on the due date in Session 2007-08.

Shaun Woodward: Of the 89 named day questions received, my Department has answered 45 on the due date. This represents 51 per cent.
	These figures cover named day questions tabled up to and including 6 November.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) British and  (b) NATO troops he expects to be deployed in Afghanistan in each of the next three years.

John Hutton: NATO currently has approximately 50,000 troops in Afghanistan. The UK is the second largest force contributor to Afghanistan with around 8,000 troops mainly based in the south of the country.
	We do not comment on future deployments but our troop contribution to the International Security Assistance Force is kept under regular review.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1227W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, what the difference will be in the proportionality of response available to situations on the ground when the aircraft types are changed over.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 6 November 2008
	There will be no significant difference in the proportionality of response available to situations on the ground when aircraft types are changed. Both aircraft are fully capable of delivering the required effects.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1227W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, what the differences in capability are.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 6 November 2008
	There are no significant differences in the operational capabilities provided by the two aircraft. Both are fully capable of delivering the required effects. I am withholding detailed information on capabilities as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the Minister for Defence Procurement has visited Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: I have not yet visited Afghanistan but will be visiting shortly.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) of 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 9, on Afghanistan, which eight districts in Helmand province under the control of NATO and the Afghanistan forces he referred to; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 622W.

Armed Forces: Weapons

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the Warrior chain gun has fired undemanded since 2000; and what steps are being taken to prevent this happening.

Quentin Davies: There have been four confirmed cases of the Warrior chain gun firing un-demanded since 2000. A total of 17 cases were recorded during this period, but after investigation by the MOD's serious equipment failure investigation team, 13 of these were found to be negligent discharges (human error) or undemanded operation (usually identified during pre-firing checks or maintenance procedures) where the gun operated, but no rounds were fired.
	To prevent un-demanded firings MOD is improving a number of vehicle sub-systems. This includes upgrading the chain gun control unit, which controls the firing of the gun, replacing the existing foot firing switch with a hand firing switch to operate the gun, and enhancements to turret electronics to prevent the possibility of short circuits. The modification programme is significantly improving the reliability of the chain gun across both Challenger and Warrior vehicle fleets. I am looking closely at the issue to see if there is more that can be done.

Armed Forces: Young People

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will initiate a feasibility study on the phasing out of recruitment of under 18 year olds into the armed forces; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what procedures are in place for advice to be give to under 18 year olds on the risks they are likely to face on recruitment into the armed forces;
	(3)  if he will bring forward proposals to ensure the risks of joining the armed forces are explained by an independent responsible adult to any potential recruit under the age of 18 years before that person signs any binding agreement to enlist;
	(4)  whether young people joining the armed forces before their 18th birthday are free to leave as of right; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: There are no plans to phase out the recruitment of under 18s into the armed forces. If the armed forces were required to raise the minimum age of entry, it would create serious manning problems, since 28 per cent. of all recruits in FY2007-08 were aged under 18. The services, in particular the Army, would be unable to man current structures and maintain current capabilities. It is probable that should the minimum entry age be raised, good quality school leavers would settle into other careers and thus be lost to the services.
	All service personnel under 18 years of age who have completed 28 days service have a right of discharge within the first six months of service by giving not less than 14 days notice in writing to the commanding officer if they decide that the armed forces are not a career for them. In addition, service personnel under 18 years three months who have passed their statutory six month period for "discharge as of right", and have registered, before reaching their 18th birthday, clear 'unhappiness' at their choice of career, can request permission to leave the armed forces.
	No young person under the age of 18 years may join the UK armed forces unless their application is accompanied by the formal written consent of his or her parents or guardian. This has then to be witnessed by someone of standing in the community, before the applicant can enter service. There is already a robust system in place ensuring that all potential recruits are given full details of all the advantages and risks involved in service life. Throughout the recruit selection process, the staffs at the Armed Forces Careers Offices (AFCO) provide comprehensive written and verbal guidance to all potential recruits, in particular those of less than 18 years of age, and their parents or guardians. This guidance covers the potential recruit's terms and conditions of service, the commitments that they would be undertaking, and their rights to discharge.
	It is defence policy that service personnel under the age of 18 are not deployed on operations outside of the UK, except where the operation does not involve personnel becoming engaged in, or exposed to, hostilities. In addition, in line with UN policy, service personnel under 18 are not deployed on UN peacekeeping operations.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) tanks,  (b) artillery pieces,  (c) Royal Air Force fighter aircraft,  (d) frigates and destroyers and  (e) infantry the armed forces had in (i) 1979, (ii) 1990, (iii) 1997, (iv) 2001 and (v) 2006.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is set out from 1992 onwards in UK Defence Statistics, and before that in its predecessor, volume 2 of the Statement on Defence Estimates. Copies of both are available in the Library of the House.

AWE Aldermaston

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Preliminary Safety and Environment Document for the proposed Uranium Enrichment Facility at AWE Aldermaston.

Quentin Davies: As I stated in my answer on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 300W, there are no plans to build a uranium enrichment facility at the atomic weapons establishment.
	Should the proposed replacement uranium handling facility, to which I also referred, proceed, a preliminary safety report will then be completed as required by the Health and Safety Executive.

AWE Aldermaston

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether construction of the proposed uranium enrichment facility at AWE Aldermaston will be financed through a private finance initiative scheme; and what the  (a) principles are and  (b) mechanism is by which the project will be financed.

Quentin Davies: As I stated in my answer on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 300W, there are no plans to build a uranium enrichment facility at the atomic weapons establishment.
	We have no plans to introduce private finance into the proposed replacement uranium handling facility to which I also referred. Funding for the project will be allocated in accordance with normal MOD processes.

AWE Burghfield

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the area protected under the terms of section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCAP) at AWE Burghfield extends beyond the nuclear licensed site boundary; and for what reason the area is shown as extending beyond the licensed site boundary on the SOCAP map prepared by Defence Estates.

Quentin Davies: The area at AWE Burghfield that is protected under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCAP) is greater than that of the nuclear licensed site. It extends to the outer perimeter of the site in accordance with the provisions of section 128 of SOCAP relating to nuclear sites.

Colombia: Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Army has provided training to the 15th Mobile Brigade of the Colombian Army.

Bob Ainsworth: As I have made clear in previous answers, the Ministry of Defence does not provide training to whole units such as the 15th Mobile Brigade of the Colombian Army.

Departmental Fuels

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of each purchase of fuel made by his Department in each of the last nine months.

Quentin Davies: Figures for each purchase of ground fuels made in each of last nine months are not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The following tables set out the information for bulk fuel purchases by the Defence Fuels Group for aviation turbine and marine diesel between February and October 2008.
	
		
			  Aviation turbine 
			  Date (2008)  Cost (£ million) 
			 February 21.34 
			 March 28.90 
			 April 13.45 
			 May 13.01 
			 June 44.58 
			 July 16.55 
			 August 13.17 
			 September 10.84 
			 October (1)— 
			 (1) Data not yet available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Marine diesel 
			  Date (2008)  Cost (£ million) 
			 February 4.17 
			 March (1)— 
			 April 21.35 
			 May 19.94 
			 June (1)— 
			 July 39.56 
			 6 August 11.24 
			 17 September 5.65 
			 October (1)— 
			 (1) No purchases.

Departmental Manpower

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to alter the size of his Department's staff complement; and what account of his Department's capacity to respond to security threats was taken in the formulation of such plans.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 6 November 2008
	Plans for the future size of the armed forces are published in Defence Plan 2008-12, as follows:
	
		
			   2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  2011-12 
			 Royal Navy 35,790 35,410 35,360 35,380 
			 Army 101,660 101,630 100,560 101,510 
			 RAF 40,830 40,360 40,670 40,170 
		
	
	These plans reflect the expected future security environment and security threats set out in our internal Defence Strategic Guidance, translated by Defence Planning Assumptions into the required future force structure.
	The civilian work force comprised 88,020 full-time equivalents on 1 October 2008. While we do not set civilian requirements in the same way as for the armed forces, we expect the civilian work force to decrease over the next few years as a result of change programmes, including Head Office Streamlining, the 'PACE' initiative in Defence Equipment and Support and transfers of civilian personnel into the private sector (for example, the Royal School of Military Engineering Public Private Partnership). Further reductions may occur as we continue to review our manpower requirements to ensure that we are delivering best value for money, while continuing to deliver Defence outputs.

Kenley Airfield

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current budget allocation for the erection of a perimeter fence at Kenley Aerodrome is; and what the budget allocation for the previous design of this undertaking was.

Kevan Jones: The initial and current budget allocation for the erection of a perimeter fence at Kenley Aerodrome is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Budget allocation (£ estimated) 
			 2006-07 154,000 
			 2009-10 100,000

Meteorological Office: Data Protection

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the circumstances were of the Meteorological Office protected personal data related incident in November 2006; and what data were lost or compromised.

Bob Ainsworth: The incident in question relates to the theft of items locked in the luggage area of a vehicle being used by Met Office staff. Among the items stolen were a Met Office laptop computer, personal digital assistant and USB drive. These items contained the work contact details of some 150 people and a small number of documents assessed to be of low security risk.

Military Aircraft: Training

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Merlin and  (b) Nimrod crews are fully trained in anti-submarine warfare.

Bob Ainsworth: There are 20 Merlin HM Mk1 and 17 Nimrod MR2 crews fully trained in anti-submarine warfare.

Territorial Army

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required,  (b) actual and  (c) fit for task strength of each Territorial Army infantry battalion is.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is shown in the following table. Figures are as at 1 October 2008 and are rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		
			  Battalion  Required strength  Actual strength 
			 3rd Battalion Royal Anglian Regt 480 430 
			 7th Battalion The Rifles 460 480 
			 4th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regt (King's Lancashire and Border) 500 570 
			 3rd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regt (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) 460 360 
			 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh 460 380 
			 7th Battalion The Royal Regt of Scotland 530 420 
			 The London Regt 420 320 
			 5th Battalion The Royal Regt of Fusiliers 460 390 
			 4th Battalion The Parachute Regt 400 390 
			 6th Battalion The Royal Regt of Scotland 430 290 
			 4th Battalion The Mercian Regt 670 530 
			 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regt 530 420 
			 6th Battalion The Rifles 480 380 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Regt 430 410 
		
	
	Data concerning fit for task personnel is not collected for the Territorial Army and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

OLYMPICS

Expenditure

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her most recent assessment is of the adequacy of the Olympic budget; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The estimate of public expenditure on the London 2012 games remains within the £9.325 billion package that I announced in March 2007.
	I provided further details of the budget in my statement of December 2007; and my progress updates of January and July 2008. My next progress report will be in January 2009.

Costs

Ann Winterton: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent estimate she has made of the projected total cost of staging the London 2012 Olympic games.

Tessa Jowell: As the National Audit Office reported in June 2008, the cost of staging the Games will be met from the budget of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). LOCOG's budget is some £2 billion. This is intended to be self-financing, with the exception of a contribution from public funds towards the cost of the staging of the Paralympic games, for which there is a provision of £66 million included within the £9.325 billion public sector funding package.

Branding: Local Events

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had with local authorities on the branding of local events in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: The Inspire Mark is a first for any games, and offers core games branding to high-quality projects and programmes delivered by local authorities and other non-commercial bodies, which have been inspired by the London games.
	I have worked with the Nations and Regions Group to ensure that this Inspire Mark is available to local events.
	36 local Cultural Olympiad projects are already licensed to use the mark, and next year community projects in other themes (e.g. sport) will be able to apply to use the Inspire Mark.

Ambassadors

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what plans she has to use past British Olympic medal winners as ambassadors in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic games.

Tessa Jowell: I intend to work with sports organisations to use current and retired Olympians and Paralympians, not just medal winners, as ambassadors in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
	These men and women are an inspiration to the nation and are ideal role models for the young people of today.

Wales and the Olympics

Alun Michael: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the benefits which the 2012 Olympic games will bring to  (a) Cardiff and  (b) Wales.

Tessa Jowell: Wales stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the London 2012 games.
	We are already seeing good progress—I understand that over 90 schools and colleges in Wales took part in Paralympic Handover events; that over 850 businesses have registered on CompeteFor; and that 32 facilities from the region are included in the official Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.
	With the Millennium Stadium hosting group stages of the football competition in 2012, Cardiff will be especially well placed to benefit.

Mass Media

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which organisations provided media monitoring services to her Office since its inception; and what the total cost was of each contract over that period.

Tessa Jowell: I do not have my own contract for media monitoring services. Both the Cabinet Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who have their own media monitoring contracts with Energy Data Services Ltd., and the Central Office of Information's Media Monitoring Unit supply me with material.

Olympic Games 2012: Consultants

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she plans to publish the KPMG review of venues for the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 6 November 2008
	The KPMG report with its recommendations is yet to be finalised and presented to the Olympic Board. Plans for publication are therefore still to be determined.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what estimate she has made of costs of staging London 2012 shooting events at  (a) Woolwich and  (b) Bisley.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 6 November 2008
	The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich was selected as the shooting venue for the London 2012 games following feedback from the IOC's review of the Bid Committee's Applicant File (which originally proposed Bisley). Integrating shooting into the main hub of 2012 venues helped form a more 'compact' games in the bid.
	KPMG has been commissioned to test and challenge the plans for a number of temporary venues, including Woolwich, to ensure that they represent the best value for money. The KPMG report with its recommendations is yet to be finalised and presented to the Olympic Board.

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what reports she has received on discussions between Sport England and the National Rifle Association on hosting shooting events during the London 2012 Olympics at Bisley.

Tessa Jowell: I have not received any reports on discussions between Sport England and the National Rifle Association on hosting shooting events at Bisley during the period of the London 2012 Olympic games.

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what estimate she has made of the  (a) costs and  (b) safety issues arising from hosting (i) shotgun, (ii) pistol and (iii) rifle events at Woolwich Army Base during the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: Since winning the right to host the games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have been developing their operational plans for the venue. In August, KPMG was commissioned to test and challenge the plans for a number of temporary venues, including Woolwich, to ensure that they represent the best value for money.
	The KPMG report with its recommendations is yet to be finalised and presented to the Olympic Board. Due to commercial sensitivities, particularly with regards to ensuring that the organising committee is in a position to ensure value for money from suppliers and contractors, details of LOCOG's budget will not be published at this stage.

Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether she has had discussions with the  (a) National Rifle Association and  (b) other shooting bodies on the issue of the location of shooting events during the London 2012 Olympics in the last two months.

Tessa Jowell: I have not had any discussions with the National Rifle Association or other shooting organisations on the location of the London 2012 shooting events in the last two months. I did, however, meet informally with Olegario Vazquez Rana, President of the International Shooting Sport Federation, during my visit in August to the Beijing 2008 games.

Olympic Games 2012: Northern Ireland

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had with Northern Ireland Executive members on the input of Northern Ireland to the 2012 Olympic Games; and what the outcome of those discussions was.

Tessa Jowell: I hope to visit Northern Ireland in the new year to engage in these discussions.
	By way of background, the Olympic family, through the Nations and Regions Group (NRG), has ongoing discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive at various levels regarding their engagement and involvement in 2012. The work and discussions of the NRG highlight the exciting opportunities and potential benefits to create a lasting legacy in Northern Ireland which has so far included:
	26 Olympic and eight Paralympic training facilities in Belfast and other locations, included in the London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide;
	over 500 businesses in Northern Ireland registered on CompeteFor;
	£1.31 million from the Legacy Trust to Northern Ireland for a programme which will, in the process of delivery, tackle aspects of personal communication and physical development with elements of dance, gymnastics, music and poetry, theatre and visual arts.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

Government Departments: Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission whether the National Audit Office has provided guidance to Government departments on their euro changeover preparations and planning.

Alan Williams: The National Audit Office has not provided guidance to Government Departments on euro changeover preparations and planning since June 2003. Before that date the NAO had some engagement with a limited number of projects associated with euro changeover preparations.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Armed Forces: USA

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1997 visiting US personnel were  (a) prosecuted under UK law and  (b) dealt with under US law for offences committed in the UK; and what information her Department holds on the results of such cases dealt with by the US military authorities.

Alan Campbell: The Visiting Forces Act 1952 together with the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1999 make provision for dealing with offences committed by members of visiting naval, military and air forces from certain listed countries by their own service authorities and service courts rather than by United Kingdom authorities and courts. The Act does not affect the specific legislation under which defendants are prosecuted in the United Kingdom, although it may determine which country's legislation will be applied when an offence is committed.
	Information on whether court cases take place under the jurisdiction of the Act is not held by the Ministry of Justice because the information on criminal proceedings contains only the specific statute for the offences under which defendants are prosecuted, not any other statutes governing the court case itself. For example, where a defendant is prosecuted for robbery, an offence under section 8 of the Theft Act 1968, the record held by the Ministry of Justice will list the prosecution as under this Act only. It would not be possible to tell whether the above offence was committed by a member of the visiting US personnel, as circumstances surrounding the case are not reported to the Ministry of Justice. Therefore the Ministry of Justice are unable to provide data on those visiting US personnel who were prosecuted under UK law, those dealt with under US law for offences committed in the UK and the results of these cases.

Asylum

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers on Section 4 support were being provided with luncheon vouchers  (a) in 2007 and  (b) on the most recent date for which such data is available.

Phil Woolas: Vouchers are issued to those eligible for Section 4 support by Accommodation Providers. They can be in the form of supermarket payment cards, supermarket vouchers or in some cases Luncheon Vouchers. UKBA do not hold central records detailing the provision of Luncheon Vouchers to those in receipt of Section 4 support.

Asylum

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which supermarkets are contracted to accept vouchers used by asylum seekers on Section 4 support in each region of the UK.

Phil Woolas: The provision of vouchers has been contracted to Accommodation Providers and this information is not held by the UKBA. The Agency advises Accommodation Providers to purchase vouchers from the nearest local supermarket and other outlets, located within a three-mile radius of the accommodation, where a full range of items can be purchased. It is understood that the Accommodation Providers have arrangements in place with the major supermarket chains.

Asylum

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the face value of vouchers exchanged by an asylum seeker on Section 4 support is paid to supermarkets.

Phil Woolas: This information is not available to the UK Border Agency.

Asylum

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of  (a) the annual cost of administering vouchers for asylum seekers on Section 4 support and  (b) the annual administrative cost of providing support to asylum seekers on Section 4 support in cash using the post office network.

Phil Woolas: Failed asylum seekers who are eligible for support to avoid destitution under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are provided with accommodation and vouchers for food and other basic essential items. The Act prohibits the provision of cash subsistence.
	Vouchers are issued to those eligible for section 4 support by Accommodation Providers. They can be in the form of supermarket payment cards, supermarket vouchers or in some cases Luncheon Vouchers.
	The costs of administering the provision of vouchers has been contracted to Accommodation Providers and these costs are included within the unit cost negotiated with each individual Accommodation Provider.

British Nationality

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted UK citizenship in  (a) each year since 1987 and  (b) each quarter of the last four years for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The available data to quarter 2 2008 are shown in the following table.
	Data for quarter 3 2008 will be published on 19 November 2008 in table 15 of "Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary UK Q3 2008".
	Data are published both quarterly and annually as National Statistics and are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			  Grants of British citizenship decided in the United Kingdom, 1987 to quarter 2 2008 
			  Number of persons 
			   Grants of citizenship( 1) 
			 1987 64,875 
			 1988 64,585 
			 1989 117,130 
			 1990 57,270 
			 1991 58,640 
			 1992 42,245 
			 1993 45,795 
			 1994 44,035 
			 1995 40,515 
			 1996 43,070 
			 1997 37,010 
			 1998 53,935 
			 1999 54,900 
			 2000 82,210 
			 2001 90,295 
			 2002 120,125 
			 2003 130,535 
			   
			  2004 148,275 
			 Q1 35,700 
			 Q2 35,210 
			 Q3 39,915 
			 Q4 37,450 
			   
			  2005 161,700 
			 Q1 42,370 
			 Q2 40,325 
			 Q3 39,900 
			 Q4 39,110 
			   
			  2006 154,020 
			 Q1 46,820 
			 Q2 35,870 
			 Q3 34,855 
			 Q4 36,465 
			   
			  2007(P) 164,635 
			 Q1 44,610 
			 Q2 40,370 
			 Q3 43,770 
			 Q4 35,890 
			   
			  2008(P)  
			 Q1 34,880 
			 Q2 23,445 
			 (1) Data from November 2001 include grants of British citizenship in the Channel Island and Isle of Man.

British Nationality

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people of each nationality have been granted UK citizenship since 1987.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Statistics on persons granted British citizenship by previous nationality are published annually in Home Office National Statistics statistical bulletins.
	The requested data can be found in table 4 of "Citizenship Statistics United Kingdom" for the years 1987 to 1990 and in "Persons Granted British Citizenship United Kingdom" for the years 1991 to 2007. These publications may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

British Nationality

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for UK citizenship were refused on the grounds that the applicant was not of good character in each year since 1997.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The available data from 2002 to 2007 are shown in the following table.
	Data regarding refusals of applications for British citizenship before 2002 are not available.
	Data are published annually as National Statistics and are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			  Refusal of British citizenship on grounds of the applicant not being of good character, 2002 to 2007 
			   Number of applications refused as not of good character( 1) 
			 2002 740 
			 2003 945 
			 2004 1,185 
			 2005 1,665 
			 2006(2) 1,765 
			 2007(3) 1,695 
			 (1 )Includes applicants who are considered a threat to national security. (2) Revised (3) Provisional

British Nationality

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people renounced UK citizenship in each year since 1987, broken down by new nationality taken.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 November 2008
	 The following table shows the number of people who renounced British citizenship in each of the last six years.
	
		
			   Number of renunciations 
			 2002 1,140 
			 2003 680 
			 2004 670 
			 2005 590 
			 2006 600 
			 2007 585 
			 Total 4,265 
		
	
	Information relating to the nationality acquired or retained as a result of the renunciation and information for the period from 1987 to 2001 could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
	The information has been provided from local management information and is not a National Statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

British Nationality: Assessments

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the pass rate was of those taking the Knowledge of Life test  (a) applying for citizenship and  (b) applying for settlement in each of the last eight quarters for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The pass rates for candidates taking the Life in the UK test are as follows.
	Candidates are asked whether they are sitting the test because they wish to apply for citizenship or settlement. A small proportion of candidates (1.3 per cent.) are unable to state what type of application they will be making to UKBA following their test and these are recorded as other.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Pass rates  October to December 2006  January to March 2007  April to  June 2007  July to September 2007  October to December 2007  January to March 2008  April to  June 2008  July to September 2008 
			 Citizenship 66.2 70.1 64.8 65.7 68.4 70.2 68.9 66.2 
			 Settlement — — 76.3 74.4 76.1 76.6 75.6 74.2 
			 Other — — 58.6 49.3 57.3 53.1 53.8 45.3 
			 Note: Data provided by University for Industry.

Crime: Maps

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effects local crime mapping has had on householders living in the areas where the scheme is in operation with regard to  (a) insurance premiums and  (b) other matters.

Alan Campbell: All police forces are committed to deliver public-facing crime mapping by December 2008 as part of the Policing Pledge that was announced in the Policing Green Paper 'From the neighbourhood to the national' in July 2008. Five forces currently produce monthly crime maps for the public.
	 (a) We are unaware of any evidence which suggests that crime mapping has had any effects on insurance premiums.
	 (b) West Yorkshire police have carried out two small scale market research studies with members of the public which seem to suggest crime maps did not increase the level of fear of crime. Those in higher crime areas tend not to be alarmed by the level of crime depicted on crime maps and those in lower crime areas were often surprised about the low level of crime.

Crimes of Violence: Convictions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people were convicted of serious violent crime offences in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people were convicted of violent crime offences in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The available data have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and give the number of persons found guilty at all courts for offences of violence against the person in the north-east region and in England and Wales from 1997 to 2006. The court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform cannot provide data for Jarrow constituency or South Tyneside as data are not held at the required level. Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in November 2008.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences of violence against the person in the north-east region and in England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1,2,3) 
			   Offence  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			   North-east region   
			 001 Murder 17 16 25 12 16 18 13 13 9 19 
			 002 Attempted murder 3 3 2 7 1 1 6 — 4 1 
			 003 Threat or conspiracy to murder 48 50 42 36 23 40 42 46 39 37 
			 004 Manslaughter, etc 34 36 18 24 28 30 26 35 39 18 
			 037 Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking — 1 1 — — 1 1 3 — — 
			 005 Wounding or other act endangering life 130 127 93 89 99 112 129 115 126 127 
			 006 Endangering railway passenger 4 3 — 1 — 1 2 2 3 4 
			  More serious offences 236 236 181 169 167 203 219 214 220 206 
			 
			 007 Endangering life at sea — — 1 1 — — 1 — — — 
			 008 Other wounding, etc 2,096 2,300 2,290 2,172 2,234 2,306 2,181 2,124 2,356 2,511 
			 011 Cruelty to or neglect of children 21 14 27 28 23 18 23 32 30 38 
			 013 Child abduction 2 5 4 3 3 4 3 7 1 5 
			  Less serious offences 2,119 2,319 2,322 2,204 2,260 2,328 2,208 2,163 2,387 2,554 
			 
			  Total indictable violence against the person 2,355 2,555 2,503 2,373 2,427 2,531 2,427 2,377 2,607 2,760 
			 
			   England and Wales   
			 001 Murder 275 256 252 261 285 324 277 361 394 372 
			 002 Attempted murder 70 64 70 65 46 65 94 96 66 79 
			 003 Threat or conspiracy to murder 503 488 457 428 383 448 543 576 600 518 
			 004 Manslaughter, etc 541 549 484 505 565 619 561 590 605 513 
			 037 Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking 7 18 7 12 14 10 13 11 22 9 
			 005 Wounding or other act endangering life 1,864 1,775 1,622 1,531 1,595 1,699 1,675 1,897 1,872 1,721 
			 006 Endangering railway passenger 23 23 23 23 20 36 32 23 30 28 
			  More serious offences 3,283 3,173 2,915 2,825 2,908 3,201 3,195 3,554 3,589 3,240 
			 
			 007 Endangering life at sea 4 — 3 5 1 1 2 3 7 2 
			 008 Other wounding, etc 30,838 33,431 32,239 31,940 31,913 34,003 34,257 34,977 36,768 38,046 
			 011 Cruelty to or neglect of children 390 390 469 448 415 444 494 542 482 488 
			 012 Abandoning child aged under 2 years 1 1 1 — 1 — 1 — — 2 
			 013 Child abduction 40 51 71 50 59 59 82 72 80 81 
			 014 Procuring illegal abortion 5 3 — 1 — — 1 1 — — 
			 015 Concealment of birth 1 1 2 1 1 — 4 — 3 3 
			  Less serious offences 31,279 33,877 32,785 32,445 32,390 34,507 34,841 35,595 37,340 38,622 
			 
			  Total indictable violence against the person 34,562 37,050 35,700 35,270 35,298 37,708 38,036 39,149 40,929 41,862 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The definition of more serious violence is that used in publications on sentencing relating to the years 1997 to 2006.

Crimes of Violence: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violent crime were recorded in  (a) Peterborough,  (b) Cambridgeshire and  (c) the East of England in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term 'violent crime' is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics. We now provide figures for recorded offences of violence against the person and these are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Recorded offences of violence against the person 
			  Number of offences 
			  Period  Peterborough  Cambridgeshire  East of England 
			 2003-04 5,133 13,663 81,951 
			 2004-05 5,165 13,358 88,968 
			 2005-06 4,156 10,158 82,571 
			 2006-07 4,017 10,421 81,045 
			 2007-08 3,847 10,296 73,727

Crimes of Violence: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of violent crime were recorded in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) Hemel Hempstead in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term 'violent crime' is no longer used in connection with the recorded crime statistics. We now provide figures for recorded offences of violence against the person and these are given in the following table.
	Figures are provided for the Hertfordshire police force area. Statistics for Hemel Hempstead are not available. Hemel Hempstead comes within the Dacorum Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area for which figures have been given.
	
		
			  Recorded offences of violence against the person 
			  Number of offences 
			  Period  Hertfordshire  Dacorum 
			 2003-04 12,356 1,440 
			 2004-05 16,845 2,073 
			 2005-06 16,206 1,939 
			 2006-07 16,890 2,155 
			 2007-08 13,348 1,617

Criminal Records Bureau: Standards

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1432W, on the Criminal Records Bureau: standards, how many disputed Criminal Records Bureau disclosures were upheld in each of the last five years.

Meg Hillier: The total number of disclosures where the details released by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) were disputed by the applicant and subsequently upheld is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			   Total number of  upheld disputes  Total number of  disclosures issued 
			 2003-04 1,739 2,284,688 
			 2004-05 2,265 2,430,937 
			 2005-06 2,669 2,770,265 
			 2006-07 2,797 3,277,957 
			 2007-08 2,785 3,323,251 
		
	
	The CRB enhanced its recording of disputes during 2005-06. Prior to this, the CRB did not hold figures for disputes not upheld.
	Information released on a disclosure can be disputed for a number of reasons including the inclusion of locally held non-conviction information which the applicant believes to be inaccurate or misleading; situations where an applicant has had their identity stolen; or the inclusion of data which an applicant was unaware would appear on the disclosure.

Criminal Records Bureau: Standards

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1432W, on the Criminal Records Bureau: standards, what procedures are in place to allow an applicant to dispute the information provided in their Criminal Records Bureau disclosure; what steps she is taking to improve the efficiency of this process; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) operates a disputes procedure to allow the recipients of a disclosure to challenge the inclusion and accuracy of information revealed on their disclosure.
	Information released on a disclosure can be disputed for a number of reasons including the inclusion of locally held non-conviction information which the applicant believes to be inaccurate or misleading; situations where an applicant has had their identity stolen; or the inclusion of data which an applicant was unaware would appear on the disclosure.
	Applicants can raise a dispute directly with the CRB by contacting the disputes team on 0870 90 90 778 and these contact details are available on the reverse of all disclosures or by visiting the CRB website at:
	www.crb.gov.uk
	The CRB has rigorous and robust procedures to ensure that it meets its published service standard to deliver 90 per cent. of its part of the disputes process within 21 days. To increase efficiency, the disputes procedure is subject to continuous review.

Criminal Records Bureau: Standards

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what is the average length of time taken to investigate disputed Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check results; and how many CRB check result investigations were outstanding in each of the police force areas at 31 December in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check results have been challenged as incorrect by the individuals concerned in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the average length of time taken by her Department to forward disputed CRB checks for investigation by local police forces is.

Meg Hillier: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has issued over 16 million disclosures since inception and operates a disputes procedure to allow the recipients of a disclosure to challenge the inclusion and accuracy of information revealed on their disclosure.
	The disputes procedure operates to a published service standard (PSS) which is to resolve 90 per cent. of disputed disclosures within 21 days. This does not include the time taken by police forces to carry out their further investigative work.
	Data concerning the average time taken to complete a disputed disclosure by police force area are not a performance target and are not collated by the CRB.
	Information released on a disclosure can be disputed for a number of reasons including the inclusion of locally held non-conviction information which the applicant believes to be inaccurate or misleading; situations where an applicant has had their identity stolen; or the inclusion of data which an applicant was unaware would appear on the disclosure.
	The number of disputes outstanding in each of the police force areas on 31 December in each of the last three years is not collated by the bureau and is not available.
	The total number of disclosures where the details released by the CRB were challenged as incorrect by the applicant in the last three years is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			   Total number of disputes  Total number of disclosures issued 
			 2005-06 2,675 2,770,265 
			 2006-07 3,077 3,277,957 
			 2007-08 4,931 3,323,251

Departmental Compensation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the 10 highest payments made by her Department were under property compensation cases brought against it over the last 12 months for which figures are available; which of the cases were  (a) contested and  (b) uncontested by her Department; and what the nature of each incident was.

Phil Woolas: From available information covering the last 12 months there have been no property compensation cases brought against my Department.

Departmental Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many external consultants are contracted to work for her Department.

Phil Woolas: The Department procures consultancy services in terms of output rather than numbers of individuals involved, and hence does not hold this information.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates in each of the last five years her Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to her Department or its non-departmental public bodies.

Phil Woolas: Details of dates of those contingent liabilities reported to Parliament by Departmental Minute can be found at Note 32 to the Department's 2007-08 resource accounts (publication HC868) which can be found at the Home Office website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/resource-accounts-07-08
	Publication numbers for earlier resource accounts are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  TSO Publication number  Note number 
			 2006-07 HC1006 32 
			 2005-06 HC124 32 
			 2004-05 HC826 26 
			 2003-04 HC230 26

Departmental Procurement

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which companies her Department has purchased goods and services of a total value above £1 million in each of the last three years; and how much was spent on goods from each such company in each such year.

Phil Woolas: The companies from which the Department and its Executive agencies has purchased goods, services and works of a total value of above £1 million in each of the last three years is given in the tables placed in the House Library.
	The primary values of expenditure recorded by the Department's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and other systems are combined values covering goods, services and works. To separate the amount spent on goods only from values representing expenditure on goods, services and works would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pilot schemes and projects have been launched by her Department since 1 January 2006; and what the cost to date of each such pilot is.

Phil Woolas: Trialling or piloting systems and processes, or their component parts, is normal practice throughout the lifecycle of projects large and small. Records of such trials and pilots are not held centrally. Details of their status and cost could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which projects her Department has commissioned from  (a) think tanks and  (b) charities in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what the aim of each project was; which think tank or charity was commissioned; and how much was paid.

Phil Woolas: The Department does not hold this information centrally and to obtain the information requested would incur disproportionate costs.

Deportation

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK nationals have been deported from the UK since 24 August 2005 on grounds of unacceptable behaviour.

Phil Woolas: It is only possible to pursue deportation action against foreign nationals.

Detention Centres

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have  (a) escaped or absconded and  (b) returned or been recaptured after escaping or absconding from each establishment in the immigration detention estate in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 6 November 2008
	The number of detainees who have escaped from immigration removal centres has only been collated centrally since 2005.
	
		
			   Escaped  Recaptured 
			  Campsfield House   
			 2007 29 23 
			 2008 (To date) 7 4 
			
			  Colnbrook   
			 2005 1 — 
			
			  Dungavel House   
			 2006 1 1 
			
			  Haslar   
			 2008 (To date) 2 2 
			
			  Lindholme   
			 2008 (To date) 1 1 
			
			  Oakington   
			 2005 4 — 
			 2006 19 2 
			 2007 63 19 
			 2008 (To date) 24 6 
			
			  Yarl's Wood   
			 2007 1 1

Detention Centres: Finance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of operating all immigration removal centres was in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to answer the question as asked since three of our centres are former prisons i.e. Dover, Haslar and a wing at Lindholme. They are operated by MOJ with UKBA simply paying the top-up fee for running the centre as Immigration Removal Centre.

Detention Centres: Finance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which immigration removal centre is allocated the largest share of her Department's budget for all such centres.

Phil Woolas: This information cannot be given since it is commercial in confidence; revealing details on costs by immigration removal centre will set a precedent, which in turn may jeopardise the tendering process.

Driving Under Influence: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of  (a) drug and  (b) drink driving were recorded in (i) West Chelmsford constituency and (ii) the Chelmsford local authority area in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 4 November 2008
	Offences of driving while unfit through drugs or drink are summary offences and do not feature in the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.
	Data on offences of 'Causing death by dangerous or careless driving (including while under the influence of drink or drugs)' have been collected at local authority area level since 2000-01. There was one offence recorded in Chelmsford in 2002-03, one in 2005-06 and four recorded in 2006-07. However, it is not possible to determine from the information held centrally which, if any, of these offences were committed while the offender was under the influence.
	Data for West Chelmsford constituency are not available centrally.

Drug Seizures

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors the Serious and Organised Crime Agency takes into account when stating that a drugs seizure is attributable to its activities.

Alan Campbell: There are occasions when either:
	 (a) SOCA does not have the power to seize drugs but passes information onto another (usually foreign) law enforcement agency to enable the seizure to be effected; or
	 (b) for operational reasons SOCA wishes not to reveal its involvement in a drugs seizure.
	In these instances the SOCA Officer leading the investigation makes a judgment on whether or not the seizure was made principally as a result of SOCA activity and/or the information supplied by SOCA. When reporting these figures, SOCA does not claim that these seizures are attributable solely to its activities.

Drugs: Smuggling

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the capability of UK law enforcement agencies to seize illegal drugs and weapons from vessels in British waters.

Phil Woolas: From April 2008, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) took on responsibility for maritime operations which had previously been undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs and were formerly the responsibility of HM Customs and Excise.
	UKBA maritime assets, which currently include a fully mobile and flexible cutter fleet, work regularly in support of operations by other law enforcement agencies, to maintain a range of intelligence-led and risk-based controls on all routes of entry to UK, in order to target illicit imports of drugs, weapons and other prohibited and restricted goods.
	We are continuously improving our capabilities to seize prohibited and restricted goods from entering the UK and this includes the interception of vessels in British waters. More specifically we intend to review our maritime capability to ensure it supports our objectives to strengthen our border.

Drugs: Smuggling

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of alleged drug smuggling cases referred to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs for investigation in each of the last two years have been investigated by SOCA.

Alan Campbell: Under arrangements made when SOCA was established, HM Revenue and Customs notify SOCA of relevant commodity seizures at port within a mutually agreed framework. SOCA undertakes systematic checks on every notification, but only investigates where the size of the seizure, significance of the criminals involved and operational opportunity available are assessed as suitable for further effective action, in line with the priorities of the UK Serious Organised Crime Control Strategy.
	A refined framework was introduced on 1 September 2006 in order to align notifications to the UK Control Strategy. SOCA received 74 such notifications relating to drugs seizures from 1 September 2006 to 31 August 2007 and undertook investigations in 16 cases. In the year ending 31 August 2008 SOCA received 99 notifications and undertook investigations in 38 cases.

Entry Clearances

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals have been excluded from the UK since 24 August 2005 on grounds of unacceptable behaviour.

Phil Woolas: Since 24 August 2005, 79 foreign nationals have been excluded from the UK on grounds of unacceptable behaviour.

Entry Clearances: Middle East

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 820W, on entry clearances: Middle East, if she will give the names of the Israelis refused entry to the UK in the 12 months to September 2008 on the ground that their exclusion was conducive to the public good.

Phil Woolas: In our answer of 28 October 2008,  Official Report, column 820W, we referred to the number of Israeli and Palestinian citizens who have been refused entry to the UK at the Border, on the grounds that their admittance would be non-conducive to the public good. It is policy that we do not ordinarily comment on individual cases.
	There is a distinction between those persons who have been refused entry at the Border by UK Border Agency officers and those who are the subject of exclusion orders, agreed by the Home Secretary. The Home Secretary recently announced that she has reviewed existing policy on the exclusion from the UK of those individuals who encourage violence or hatred in support of their ideology. In particular, the Home Office will consider, in all future cases, whether it would be in the public interest to disclose that an individual has been excluded, with a presumption to inform the public.

Fireworks: Arrests

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged  (a) between 13 and 18,  (b) between 18 and 25 and  (c) 25 years and over were arrested for offences related to the misuse of fireworks in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery.
	Offences relating to the misuse of fireworks are not notifiable offences and do not form part of the arrests collection.
	The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 extended the list of offences under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to allow the police to stop and search for prohibited fireworks. From information reported centrally on the number of resultant arrests we are not able to identify specific offences for which an arrest has been made.

Foreign Workers: Domestic Service

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish her Department's research and analysis on provisions for overseas domestic workers under the points-based system.

Phil Woolas: The findings of research are normally published if they meet quality standards and do not present issues of security, operational effectiveness or confidentiality. A publication date will be set once the final report is agreed.

Genetics: Databases

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged  (a) under 10,  (b) 10 to 17,  (c) 18 to 20 and  (d) 21 and over in each ethnic appearance category were registered on the national DNA database in each of the last five years; and how many of those had been (i) arrested but had no further action taken against them, (ii) charged but later acquitted, (iii) charged where such charges were subsequently dropped and (iv) given a reprimand of final warning in each of those years.

Alan Campbell: The function of the National DNA Database (NDNAD) is to match DNA profiles taken from crime scenes with those taken from individuals. It does not contain any information on whether those on it have been arrested, charged or given a reprimand or final warning.
	Information is available on the number of those whose profiles have been added to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces, as at 16 July 2008, broken down by ethnic appearance category and the age groups requested, as given in Table 1. Age is defined as the person's age at the time DNA was taken from them, not their current age. This data could only be further broken down to show which profiles were added in each of the last five years at disproportionate cost.
	The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion.
	This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles. It is estimated that 13.3 per cent of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates.
	Ethnic appearance is based on the judgement of the police officer taking the sample as to which of six broad ethnic appearance categories the person is considered to belong. 'Unknown' means that no ethnic appearance information was recorded by the officer taking the sample.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Ethnic appearance  Age range  Number of profiles  Number of individuals using 13.3per  cent estimated replication rate 
			 Unknown Under 10 19 16 
			  10-17 53,274 46,189 
			  18-20 34,605 30,003 
			  21 and over 210,113 182,168 
			  Unknown age on load 880 763 
			 Total Unknown  298,891 259,138 6 
			 
			 Black Under 10 7  
			  10-17 81,748 70,876 
			  18-20 46,823 40,596 
			  21 and over 240,017 208,095 
			  Unknown age on load 6,747 5,850 
			 Total Black  375,342 325,422 
			 
			 Middle Eastern Under 10 2 2 
			  10-17 4,105 3,559 
			  18-20 4,383 3,800 
			  21 and over 27,077 23,476 
			  Unknown age on load 295 256 
			 Total Middle Eastern  35,862 31,092 
			 
			 Asian Under 10 6 5 
			  10-17 43,998 38,146 
			  18-20 38,730 33,579 
			  21 and over 176,783 153,271 
			  Unknown age on load 2,234 1,937 
			 Total Asian  261,751 226,938 
			 
			 White Southern European Under 10 11 10 
			  10-17 15,290 13,256 
			  18-20 10,850 9,407 
			  21 and over 63,783 55,300 
			  Unknown age on load 1,169 1,014 
			 Total White Southern European  91,103 78,986 
			 
			 Chinese, Japanese or SE Asian Under 10 0 0 
			  10-17 2,929 2,539 
			  18-20 3,140 2,722 
			  21 and over 24,139 20,929 
			  Unknown age on load 127 110 
			 Total Chinese, Japanese or SE Asian  30,335 26,300 
			 
			 White North European Under 10 54 47 
			  10-17 856,617 742,687 
			  18-20 514,545 446,111 
			  21 and over 2,372,906 2,057,310 
			  Unknown age on load 56,063 48,607 
			 Total White North European  3,800,185 3,294,760

Genetics: Databases

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals within the Greater Manchester Police Authority aged  (a) under 13,  (b) between 13 and 15,  (c) between 16 and 18 and  (d) between 19 and 21 years old have a sample on the national DNA database.

Alan Campbell: Information held on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) is recorded on the basis of the police force which took the DNA sample. The address of the person sampled is not recorded. Thus, the figures for the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Authority area include people from outside the GMP Authority area who were arrested and sampled by GMP; and exclude people from the GMP area who were arrested and sampled by police forces elsewhere.
	The table gives the number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD taken by GMP for the age ranges requested, as at 30 October 2008. The figures given are for current ages, not the age on the date the sample was taken.
	The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles from the SGM to the SGM Plus profiling system. It is estimated that 13.3 per cent. of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates.
	However, this rate may vary between police forces, so figures for the number of individuals are not given for particular forces.
	
		
			  Current age  Total subject sample profiles 
			 Under 13 878 
			 13 to 15 7,515 
			 16 to 18 19,586 
			 19 to 21 26,621

Identity and Passport Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1539W, on the Identity and Passport Service, how much was paid out in compensation by the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years.

Meg Hillier: Compensation payments made to the public by the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five financial years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 79,000 
			 2004-05 145,000 
			 2005-06 129,000 
			 2006-07 123,000 
			 2007-08 77,000

Identity and Passport Service

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1539W, on the Identity and Passport Service, what account she took of the passports stolen on 28 July in formulating the answer; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The blank passports stolen on 28 July in Manchester were bound for RAF Northolt for onward delivery to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) overseas consular posts via diplomatic bag. The transport arrangements are the responsibility of the FCO. The Identity and Passport Service were made immediately aware of the loss and have been working closely with FCO on preventative action and the ongoing police investigation.
	A joint letter was sent on 1 August to the Chairmen of the Home and Foreign Affairs Select Committees by the permanent secretaries of the FCO and the Home Office explaining the measures FCO are putting in place to increase security for the transport of passports to overseas posts.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many on-the-spot fines have been imposed on employers using illegal immigrant labour since February 2008; and how many illegal immigrants have been removed from the UK as a result of operations leading to such fines.

Phil Woolas: To date 1,012 notices of liability for a civil penalty have been issued since the implementation of the new civil penalties regime in February 2008. Figures provided from the database do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional as they are subject to change.
	The United Kingdom (UK) Border Agency does not hold data in the format requested on those encountered working illegally that have been removed from the UK. Published information on removals is provided in the quarterly asylum statistics. The most recent figures can be accessed at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/asylumq407.pdf
	and are also available from the Library of the House.

Immigration

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is made of the status of a marriage of a foreign national to a British national under Sharia law completed outside the UK in dealing with an application for residency.

Phil Woolas: Those applying for leave to enter or remain in the UK on the basis of their marriage to a British national must satisfy the UK Border Agency that they are validly married to their sponsor. In order for a marriage contracted overseas to be valid in the United Kingdom it must meet three criteria:
	1. The type of marriage must be one recognised in the country in which it took place;
	2. The marriage must have been properly executed so as to satisfy the requirements of the law of the country in which it took place; and
	3. There must have been nothing in the law of either party's domicile that restricted his or her freedom to enter into the marriage.

Immigration

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the divorce of a foreign national from a British national under Sharia law would have on an individual's residency status.

Phil Woolas: The only valid way of divorcing in the United Kingdom and Islands is by obtaining, on application, a decree from a civil court. The recognition of overseas divorces is considered under the provisions of the current legislation—the Family Law Act 1986—which came into force on 5 April 1988.

Immigration: Criminal Records

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2008,  Official Report, column 514W, on immigration: criminal records, what the policy is of the Government on the grant of indefinite leave to remain under the legacy exercise to individuals with criminal convictions; where  (a) on the website referred to and  (b) elsewhere the policy is explained; and for what reason her Answer did not set out the Government's policy.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 4 November 2008
	The Case Resolution Directorate applies a range of existing UK Border Agency policies when considering cases within the legacy. All cases within the legacy are checked for criminality before any decision is made. Deportation of individuals with criminality is considered in line with Chapters 11 to 15 of the published Enforcement Instructions and Guidance on the UK Border Agency's website at:
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/enforcement/oemsectionb/
	If there is criminality, but deportation is not pursued and there are no outstanding applications or asylum or human rights issues, consideration will be given to criminal records in line with the extenuating circumstances as described in Chapter 53 of the published Enforcement Instructions and Guidance on the UK Border Agency's website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk/ind/manuals/enforcement guidance/Resources/Detention_and_Removals/Guidance/Chapter53.doc
	Copies of the chapters referred to will be placed in the House Library.

Immigration: Detainees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest period of time that an individual has been detained in an immigration removal centre is.

Phil Woolas: Information of this kind is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Although under UK immigration law there are no fixed limits on the length of detention, there is a requirement to keep it to the minimum period necessary for the purpose for which it was authorised in line with article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and associated jurisprudence.
	National Statistics on detention are published annually and quarterly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Control of Immigration which is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Immigration: Detainees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time an individual was detained in an immigration removal centre was in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not available for the time period requested and could be obtained only through the examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
	Following a change in the computer system in which information is collected; statistics on all persons recorded as leaving detention in the UK solely under Immigration Act powers by length of detention are not available after September 2006. Information up to that date for each year is available from the Library of the House and in Table 9.4 of each year's Asylum Statistics United Kingdom publication published each August:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1407.pdf

Immigration: Educational Institutions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) found guilty of offences relating to breaches of immigration law by educational institutions in each year since 1997, broken down by offence.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of 'other' offenders (i.e. companies, public bodies, etc.) proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts, for all immigration offences in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2006 are given in the tables. Data for 2007 will be available in late November 2008.
	The Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform does not separately identify educational institutions from other public bodies or companies within the 'other' offender category.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  N umber of 'other' defendants( 1)  proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for all immigration offences( 2) , England and Wales, 1997  to  2006( 3,4) 
			Proceeded against 
			  Offence description  Principal Statute ( s)  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Other forgery or copying false instrument. Marking etc. document calculated to deceive. Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Sees 1,2. Mental Health Act 1983 Sec 126(2). Post Office (Protection) Act 1884 Sec 11 (in Part). — — — — — — 1 2 — — 
			 Using a false instrument or a copy of a false instrument. Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Sees 3,4. Post Office (Protection) Act 1884 Sec 11 (in Part). 2 1 3 2 1 — 1 1 1 — 
			 Being unable to produce an immigration document at a leave or asylum interview in respect of himself. Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.2(1)(9) — — — — — — — — 1 — 
			 Employing person subject to immigration control who has attained the age of 16. Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 S.8 as amended by Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.6. — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Employing a person subject to immigration control who has attained the age of 16. Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 S.8. — — 1 2 — — — 2 3 — 
			 Total  2 1 4 4 1 — 2 5 5 1 
		
	
	
		
			Found guilty 
			  Offence description  Principal Statute(s)  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Other forgery or copying false instrument. Marking etc. document calculated to deceive. Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Sees 1,2. Mental Health Act 1983 Sec 126(2). Post Office (Protection) Act 1884 Sec 11  (in Part). — — — — — — 1 — — — 
			 Using a false instrument or a copy of a false instrument. Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 Sees 3,4. Post Office (Protection) Act 1884 Sec 11 (in Part). — — 1 2 1 — — — 1 — 
			 Being unable to produce an immigration document at a leave or asylum interview in respect of himself. Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.2(1)(9) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Employing person subject to immigration control who has attained the age of 16. Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 S.8 as amended by Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.6. — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Employing a person subject to immigration control who has attained the age of 16. Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 S.8. — — 1 1 — — — 2 2 — 
			 Total  — — 2 3 1 — 1 2 3 — 
			 (1) 'Other' offenders, i.e. companies, public bodies, etc. (2) Only those immigration offences with data for the period given have been included in the table. (3) These data are on the principal offence basis. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay of 11 July and 17 September 2008 on a constituent, Ms Agnes Mpofu.

Phil Woolas: Lin Homer, Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, wrote to the hon. Member on 29 October 2008 and an amended reply by Jonathan Sedgwick, Deputy Chief Executive was sent on 3 November 2008.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to respond to the hon. Member for Billericay's letters of 18 August and 24 September 2008 on her constituent Mrs Wang Youmei He.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 4 November 2008
	The letters were responded to on 26 September 2008.

National DNA Database

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written statement of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 74WS, on the National DNA Database, when the Government plan to respond to the recommendations of the first annual report of the ethics group on the operation and practice of the National DNA Database.

Alan Campbell: The National DNA Database Strategy Board and the National Policing Improvement Agency are considering the recommendations of the Ethics Group Annual Report and will advise Ministers on the issues raised in the new year. The Government will publish its response early next year.

Overseas Students: Languages

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inspections of institutions teaching English as a second language the UK Border Agency and its predecessors conducted in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The UK Border Agency does not inspect specific courses within institutions in the way that Ofsted, for example, inspects schools and so does not have any figures for such inspections.
	All colleges that want to recruit overseas students need to appear on the Department for Innovation, University and Skills (DIUS) register of education and training providers.
	The UK Border Agency will only grant student visas to people intending to study at an institution on the register.

Passports: Interviews

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants have been refused a passport as a result of decisions consequent on an interview carried out at a passport interview centre.

Meg Hillier: Identity interviews were added to the passport process mainly to deter fraud by increasing the difficulties for impostors seeking to obtain passports in other people's identities. The interviews therefore also act as a protection for British citizens against one form of identity theft.
	Extensive checks are carried out prior to interview and in a number of cases this will uncover issues which will mean that the passport application is withdrawn or refused. At the present time, no applicants have been refused a passport as a result of an interview at a passport interview office.

Police Cautions

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal cautions were issued between September 2007 and September 2008.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office collects data on the number of recorded offences detected by means of a caution. The latest data cover the financial year 2007-08 and show that there were 358,016 offences detected by means of a caution.
	Statistics on the number of offenders who receive a caution are held by the Ministry of Justice.

Police Patrolling: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours on average were spent on patrol by police officers in  (a) Peterborough and  (b) Cambridgeshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information is not available centrally.

Police Patrolling: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours on average were spent on patrol by police officers in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information is not available centrally.

Police: Body Searches

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are given to the police about the use of strip searches and the account to be taken of  (a) age,  (b) gender,  (c) seriousness of the alleged offence and  (d) the risk of subsequent self harm when deciding to conduct a strip search.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 30 October 2008
	A strip search is defined by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the PACE codes of practice as a search which involves the removal of more than an outer coat, jacket or gloves. The PACE codes of practice contain guidance on the strip searching of persons as part of a stop and search (code A) and at the police station (code C).
	The Act and codes set out a range of safeguards to ensure that strip searches are carried out with courtesy, consideration and respect and with proper regard to the sensitivity and vulnerability of, and the risks posed to, the person being searched.
	These include requirements that:
	Every reasonable effort must be made to minimise embarrassment.
	Strip searches must be conducted out of view of anyone whose presence is not necessary.
	Strip searches are to be conducted by an officer of the same sex and no one of the opposite sex is to be present unless the person searched specifically requests it.
	A strip search under a stop and search power involving exposure of intimate parts of the body is only to be carried out at a nearby police station or other nearby location (but not a police vehicle).
	When a strip search of a detainee at a police station involves the exposure of intimate parts of the body, then unless there is a risk of serious harm, at least two people in addition to the detainee are to be present. If the detainee is a juvenile or mentally vulnerable, one person present must be the appropriate adult unless, in the case of a juvenile, the individual does not wish them to be present and the adult agrees.
	The guidance "Safer Detention & Handling of Persons in Police Custody" published in 2006 by the Home Office, ACPO and Centrex states that officers need to be properly trained to take account of the risks that might arise when searches are carried out.
	The PACE codes of practice and the guidance on the "Safer Detention & Handling of Persons in Police Custody" can be accessed on the Home Office web pages.

Proceeds of Crime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value is of assets recovered by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency since its establishment.

Alan Campbell: The Serious Organised Crime Agency has obtained asset recovery orders during the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 to the following values:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   (a.) Cash forfeiture order obtained  (b.) confiscation order obtained 
			 2006-07 2.3 14.5 
			 2007-08 2.9 11.6 
			 Total 5.2 26.1 
		
	
	Figures for the financial year 2008-09 are still subject to internal validation. The figures will be published at the end of financial year 2008-09.
	SOCA has no responsibility for the enforcement of confiscation orders.

Proceeds of Crime

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to publish information on the value of assets seized by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in the same format as that previously published by the Assets Recovery Agency.

Alan Campbell: Information on the application of civil recovery and taxation powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 will be published by the Serious Organised Crime Agency as part of its annual report. The presentation of this data will be aligned with SOCA's reporting on its existing asset recovery powers and as such will not make use of older formats. SOCA has not inherited all of the Asset Recovery Agency's asset recovery powers and, unlike ARA, SOCA will not be the sole agency exercising civil recovery powers. Any like-for-like comparisons with ARA's past achievements will therefore be inhibited.

Rape

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces have established specialist rape investigation units; and what assessment she has made of their effectiveness in  (a) reducing the number of rapes and  (b) arresting suspected perpetrators of rape.

Alan Campbell: Dedicated rape investigation teams operate in Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, The Metropolitan Police Service, North Wales, Surrey, Thames Valley and West Yorkshire.
	The Home Office is currently funding and monitoring a pilot of the dedicated team approach in Hampshire in order to explore further its benefits. Although no wider national assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the specialist units, police forces have indicated that they have more effectively addressed the needs of victims during the investigation process.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Standards

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the performance of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency against its targets.

Alan Campbell: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with the chair and the Director General of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency provides the Department with a performance report quarterly.
	The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 requires that,
	"As soon as possible after the end of each financial year SOCA must issue a report on the exercise of its functions during that year (an "annual report"). The annual report must include an assessment of the extent to which the annual plan for that year under section 6 has been carried out."
	The SOCA Annual Report 2007-08 was published on 15 May 2008 and a copy was placed in the House Library.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Standards

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the recommendations of the National Audit Office report on the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA), HC (2006-07) 253, the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has implemented following the transfer to SOCA of the powers and functions of the ARA.

Alan Campbell: The recommendations of the National Audit Office report on the Assets Recovery Agency were reinforced and developed by subsequent recommendations in the Public Accounts Committee's Fiftieth Report of Session 2006-07 (HC 391). The Serious Organised Crime Agency has taken forward relevant aspects of the NAO and PAC recommendations jointly. SOCA has implemented Recommendations  (a) to  (d) of the NAO report. Specifically:
	 (a) SOCA has single points of contact established with key civil recovery referral partners and also has a significant network of liaison officers to facilitate working with partner agencies.
	 (b) SOCA has case management systems in place which contain all relevant management information.
	 (c) SOCA has formal case review processes in place for all its cases.
	 (d) Receivers' rates are negotiated and capped under the terms of a multi-agency Framework Agreement. SOCA monitors and maintains records relating to the performance of receivers and scrutinises all individual invoices to determine the reasonableness of their claims.
	The remaining recommendations  (e) and  (f) of the NAO report relate to ARA functions that were transferred to the National Policing Improvement Agency.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) permanent and  (b) casual staff have been employed in administrative roles by the UK Border Agency and its predecessors in each of the last five years; and at what cost.

Phil Woolas: The number of  (a) full-time, (permanent), and  (b) non permanent workers deployed in administrative roles in the UK Border Agency in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The non-permanent category includes both casual staff and agency workers.
	
		
			  Total pay cost figures for each financial year 
			  £000 
			   2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05 
			   64,584  68,446  69,318  * 
			  Number of full time equivalents 
			 Permanent staff 1,440 1,660 1,788 1,993 
			 Non-permanent workers 64 119 74 74 
			 Total number of administrative roles 1,504 1,779 1,856 2,068 
			 * The figures for these costs were not given separate definitions in the previous accounting system to Adelphi and figures are not therefore available before 2005.   Notes:  1. The records for deployment in administrative roles have not been broken down further into type of non-permanent worker and casual staff cannot therefore be identified.  2. The figures are for full-time equivalent staff rounded to the nearest whole figure.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer question 162680, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 6 November 2007, on English language requirements for non-UK nationals.

Phil Woolas: My predecessor replied to the hon. Member on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1562W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer question 188653, on indefinite leave to remain, tabled by the hon. Member for Hertsmere on 20 February 2008.

Phil Woolas: I replied to the hon. Member on 23 October 2008,  Official Report, column 514W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to answer question 177335, tabled on 7 January 2008, on the housing of persons granted leave to remain in the UK under the legacy exercise.

Phil Woolas: I replied to the hon. Member on 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 436W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to answer question 177352, tabled on 7 January 2008, on the cost of the legacy exercise.

Phil Woolas: I replied to the hon. Member on 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 444W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Swimming: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department is doing to support free swimming in Bassetlaw.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Bassetlaw district council has been offered £36,307 to provide free swimming to those aged 60 or over and £54,251 to provide free swimming to those aged 16 or under in each of 2009-10 and 2010-11. The council has also been offered a one-off capital reward payment of £25,355 for this year.

World Cup 2018

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in his discussions with the Football Association on its bid for the 2018 Football World Cup; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government, from the Prime Minister down, wholeheartedly support the FA's bid for the 2018 World Cup. My Department is working closely with the FA to deliver a bid of the highest quality, and last week I attended the initial meeting of the bid company board.

Free Swimming

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in implementing the free swimming initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The closing date for local authorities to confirm their participation in all elements of the Free Swimming Programme has now passed. We are collating responses and I will be issuing a statement shortly.

Licensing Regime

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effects of the Licensing Act 2003 on sports clubs.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel reported in 2006.
	It found no evidence that any amateur sports club had closed because of licensing fees, and did not recommend a discount for sports clubs.

Licensing Regime

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to amend the licensing regime to enable alcoholic refreshments to be sold to the audience at amateur dramatic performances for more than three consecutive days.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Both the retail of alcohol and the performance of plays can now be authorised by a single premises licence, which can apply for more than three consecutive days. The activities may also be authorised by a Temporary Event Notice ("TEN") which is limited to events of up to 96 hours or four days in duration so long as other limits applying to the holder and the premises have been observed.
	We have no plans to relax the restrictions on TEN's which are there as an important safeguard for local residents for what is a light touch regime for temporary licensable activities.

Broadcasting Standards

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the 2006 agreement between the Secretary of State and the BBC, what recent discussions he has had with the BBC on broadcasting standards.

Andy Burnham: I regularly meet both Sir Michael Lyons and Mark Thompson to discuss a range of issues.

Elite Athletics: Funding

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding arrangements for elite athletes; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Exchequer and lottery funding for elite athletes is concentrated on preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic games. Funding for the Beijing cycle was £265 million, compared with £85 million for Athens. The Beijing results were outstanding and Exchequer and lottery investment for London will increase to over £300 million.

Museums

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the most recent visitor figures are for national museums.

Barbara Follett: The most recent figures available show that there were a record 40 million visits to national museums in 2007-08. This represents a 72 per cent. increase in visits since the introduction of free admission in 2001-02, and equates to an additional 40 million visits to national museums over the last six years.

Digital Switchover

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress is being made to ensure that audio description is built into the core receiver requirements for the digital switchover help scheme.

Andy Burnham: Audio description is a mandatory part of the core receiver requirements. My Department has recently consulted on proposals to introduce a requirement for one button access to audio description from the remote control handset. This change is expected to come into force shortly.

Art Works: Theft

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to bring forward legislation to enable the restitution of artwork spoliated by Nazi Germany and now in the national collections.

Barbara Follett: holding answer  6 November  2008
	The Government intend to bring forward legislation to allow national museums to return works of art lost during the Nazi era and continues to seek a legislative opportunity for doing so.

British Film Institute

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the work of the British Film Institute; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I routinely meet with the British Film Institute (BFI) and the UK Film Council to discuss the wide range of activities undertaken by the BFI and any important issues arising.
	I also have regular meetings with and correspondence from people across the film industry and the work of the BFI comes up from time to time.
	The BFI does an outstanding job in championing the diversity of film culture in the UK. I would like to offer my congratulations to them for the enormously successful 52(nd) London Film festival, featuring many important new films including Terence Davies's Of Time and the City.

British Library: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has provided to the British Library in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: DCMS grant in aid funding for the British Library was as follows:
	
		
			  British Library funding, incorporating resource and capital grant in aid 
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 104.4 
			 2005-06 102.6 
			 2004-05 100.6 
			 2003-04 90.1 
			 2002-03 86.1

Departmental Buildings

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge) of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 36-37W, on departmental buildings, what the cost of each refurbishment was.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport refurbished its office at 2-4 Cockspur Street, London at a cost of £8,690,690.90.
	The Royal Parks refurbished The Magazine in Kensington Gardens at a cost of £74,000.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies.

Andy Burnham: In each of the past five years, the Department informed the House of contingent liabilities relating to the Department in the notes to its resource accounts which were laid on 17 July 2008, 16 July 2007, 24 July 2006, 19 October 2005 and 15 September 2004. This information includes liabilities not required to be reported directly to Parliament.
	Under the National Heritage Act 1980, section 16A, the Department has also reported to Parliament by departmental minute on the total contingent liability of the Government Indemnity Scheme on 11 June 2003, 4 December 2003, 10 June 2004, 30 November 2004, 26 January 2006, 18 October 2005, 8 June 2006, 6 December 2006, 23 May 2007, 27 November 2007, and 4 June 2008.
	The Department does not report the contingent liabilities of non-departmental public bodies. The non-departmental public bodies report their contingent liabilities to Parliament in their own accounts.

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what personal training courses at public expense he has undertaken since his appointment.

Andy Burnham: Since my appointment, the department has provided media training.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many official visits abroad he has made in the last 12 months; and what the costs were of such visits.

Andy Burnham: All travel by DCMS Ministers when travelling on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year, this information includes accommodation costs. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Design: Teachers

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking in conjunction with the Design Alliance to encourage continuing professional development among design teachers in schools and colleges.

Barbara Follett: The Government indicated their support for the Design Skills Alliance in Creative Britain, published in February 2008. A bid for funds has been put to DCMS's Creative Economy Programme Board and is currently being considered by Ministers.

Government Art Collection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pieces from the Government Art Collection have gone missing in the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: 8 Government Art Collection works of art are currently registered as missing for the period 1 November 2007 to 31 October 2008.

Greater Manchester

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding  (a) his Department and  (b) the Big Lottery Fund has given to (i) the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations, (ii) Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support and (iii) the Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium in the last 24 months.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 4 November 2008
	 My Department has not directly funded the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations, Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support or the Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium in the last 24 months.
	The Big Lottery Fund have advised that it has made four awards worth £768,536 to the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations in the last 24 months but has not funded Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support or the Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium in this period.

Horse Racing: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was received by the horse racing industry from the statutory levy payment by bookmakers in the last 12 months; how much is expected to be received in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Payments received from bookmakers (inclusive of the Tote) in respect of the 46(th) Levy Scheme (April 2007 to March 2008) totalled £115.5 million. The Horserace Betting Levy Board's best estimate for receipts in respect of the 47th Levy Scheme (April 2008 to March 2009) is £99.2 million. A figure for total receipts in the 12 months to November 2008 is not available, nor is it possible to estimate receipts in the 12 months from November 2008 as neither the Levy Board nor my Department holds such data.
	We welcome the news that the 48th Horserace Betting Levy Scheme has been agreed without the need for Government determination. This is a tribute both to the independent members of the board for their perseverance in brokering an acceptable agreement, and to the racing and bookmaking industries for their flexibility in reaching constructive solutions to some very difficult issues.

Liverpool

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times he has visited Liverpool during its period as European Capital of Culture.

Andy Burnham: Since 25 January 2008, I have visited Liverpool 18 times in an official capacity.

National Lottery: Cycling

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the Big Lottery Fund has given to  (a) the Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign and  (b) Action for Sustainable Living in the last 24 months.

Barbara Follett: The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have advised that it has not funded either the Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign or Action for Sustainable Living in the last 24 months.
	However, BIG have advised that the Awards for All programme has made one award worth £5,200 to Action For Sustainable Living in the last 24 months.

Public Libraries: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on public libraries in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: The amount of money spent on libraries—net expenditure (actual amount excluding capital charges)—in each London borough is published in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Public Library Statistics, copies of which are available in the House Library.

Stonehenge

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much income English Heritage has received from running Stonehenge in each year since it took responsibility for the site; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what costs have been incurred by English Heritage in running Stonehenge in each year since it took over responsibility for the site; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: Information provided by English Heritage on income received, and costs incurred, is set out in the following table. English Heritage has managed Stonehenge since 1984, but income and expenditure information prior to 1996-97 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Earned income, excluding rents receivable ()  Expenditure, excluding leased maintenance  costs () 
			 1996-97 3,156,883 1,567,402 
			 1997-98 3,310,350 1,535,529 
			 1998-99 3,755,389 1,672,622 
			 1999-2000 4,036,315 1,754,066 
			 2000-01 3,827,769 2,441,727 
			 2001-02 3,554,282 1,865,653 
			 2002-03 3,854,550 2,060,331 
			 2003-04 4,260,664 2,130,311 
			 2004-05 4,669,575 1,983,019 
			 2005-06 4,794,121 2,178,208 
			 2006-07 5,395,202 2,329,231 
			 2007-08 5,682,667 2,196,530

Stonehenge

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees relating to improvement schemes for the Stonehenge site in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent any money on consultancy fees relating to improvement schemes for the Stonehenge site in the last five years. English Heritage has managed the site on behalf of the state since 1984 and the amount it has spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Spend on consultancy fees () 
			 2003-04 934,335 
			 2004-05 464,711 
			 2005-06 224,211 
			 2006-07 154,847 
			 2007-08 15,820

Swimming Pools: Elderly

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether free swimming for over 60 year olds under his proposed scheme may only take place in pools owned by local authorities.

Andy Burnham: Free swimming offered through the Government's Free Swimming Programme may only take place in pools owned by local authorities.

Television

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library the guidance given to broadcasters on determining the public interest in preparing and broadcasting a programme based on undercover filming; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), as independent regulator for the communications sector. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Tourism: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money from his Department is being provided to Visit Wales in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Funding for Visit Wales is provided by the Welsh Assembly Government. The core budget for Visit Wales from the Welsh Assembly Government in the financial year 2007-08 was 12.656 million. This was boosted to 16.156 million by EU funding of 3.5 million.
	Figures for 2008-2009 are not yet available.

Tourism: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to promote London as a tourist destination over the last 12 months.

Barbara Follett: My Department has provided 1.9 million in the last year to the Greater London authority, in support of its tourism duties.
	London features widely in VisitBritain's marketing campaigns to promote Britain overseas and England to the British, including print literature and web content on both visitbritain.com and enjoyengland.com. VisitBritain also co-funds, with Visit London, the Britain and London Visitor Centre (BLVC) in Regent street. A monthly London Planner, produced in partnership with VisitBritain and Visit London, is available free at the BLVC and other tourist information centres.
	The British Tourism Framework Review, which is due to report shortly, is expected to offer further comment on the future promotion of London domestically and internationally.

Visit England: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding is being provided to Visit England in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 30 October 2008
	DCMS does not provide direct funding to Visit England. For 2008-09, the amount of funding provided by VisitBritain for the direct marketing of England both domestically and internationally (excluding services shared with VisitBritain) is 8.462 million.

Youth Organisations

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average level of funding provided to local youth councils by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Big Lottery Fund in the latest period for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: My Department has not directly provided funding to local youth councils for the period in which latest figures are available.
	The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have advised that in the financial year 2007-08 three awards with a total value of 76,814 were made to local youth councils through BIG programmes and the Awards For All programme.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) of 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 881W, on 10 Downing Street: shops, 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the merchandise and price list of the gift shop;
	(2)  who the suppliers are of the gifts sold in the gift shop.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) on 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 881W.

Alan Greenspan

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister whether Alan Greenspan is an adviser to him.

Gordon Brown: I refer the right hon. Member to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 17 September 2007. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page13216
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Baroness Ashton

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister how much was paid as a ministerial severance payment to Baroness Ashton on her appointment as a European Commissioner.

Gordon Brown: Severance pay is payable in accordance with section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.

Departmental Internet

Eric Pickles: To ask the Prime Minister what the budgeted  (a) set-up costs and  (b) yearly running costs are for the Number 10TV channel; and what the cost was of the recent Downing Street website redesign.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 15 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2026W.

Guantanamo Bay

Sarah Teather: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make representations to the American President-elect to honour his commitment to close Guantnamo Bay.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) at Prime Minister's Questions on 5 November 2008,  Official Report, column 251.

Gulf States: Nuclear Power

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what matters relating to nuclear power development were discussed during his recent visit to the Gulf States.

Gordon Brown: I discussed a range of issues on my recent trip to the Gulf States. I refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 3 November 2008. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17353
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Iceland: Foreign Relations

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister what requests for  (a) assistance and  (b) support for Iceland, its banks and its currency were made to him by Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde during their meeting on 24 April; and what steps he took as a result.

Gordon Brown: I refer my hon. Friend to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 24 April 2008. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page15344
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Members' Interests

Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on Ministers' interests, whether all Ministers have provided the relevant information to their Permanent Secretaries.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 27W.

Ministerial Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  when the hon. Member for Brent, North (Barry Gardiner) was appointed his Special Representative for Forestry Matters;
	(2)  what the  (a) name,  (b) titles,  (c) responsibilities and  (d) dates of appointment of each of his envoys are.

Gordon Brown: I refer the right hon. Member to the ministerial appointments press notice issued by my Office. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House and is also available on the No. 10 website at:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/press-notices.

Ministerial Policy Advisors

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS, on special advisers, which Downing Street special advisers  (a) he has appointed and  (b) have resigned since the date of the Answer.

Gordon Brown: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. Updated information will be published in the usual way.

Ministers: Official Residences

Bob Neill: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), of 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 618W, on Ministers: official residences, for how many months the official Ministerial residence at South Eaton Place has been empty: at what cost to the public purse; and whether the property has been placed on the market.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 689W. The official residence at South Eaton Place is currently on the market. The cost of maintaining the property while it is offered for sale, for example to maintain the electricity supply, is minimal.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Elderly

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients over the age of 65 years admitted to hospital as an emergency case required  (a) emergency readmission within 28 days of discharge and  (b) a third emergency readmission.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The available information from the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development (NCHOD) is given in the following table, analysed by three age groups but not including an over 65 grouping.
	
		
			  Percentage of emergency readmission to any hospital in England occurring within 28 days of discharge from hospital 
			  Indirectly age, sex, method of admission of discharge spell, diagnosis (ICD 10 chapter / selected sub-chapters within medical specialties) and procedure (OPCS 4 chapter / selected sub-chapters within surgical specialties) standardised rates. Standardised to persons 2002/2003 
			  Age Group  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03 
			 Ages 0-15 9.08 8.90 8.58 8.25 8.29 
			 Ages 16-74 8.82 8.51 8.14 7.73 7.39 
			 Ages 75+ 13.82 13.63 13.05 12.19 11.60 
			  Source: Compendium of Clinical and Health Indicators/Clinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge Base (www.nchod.nhs.uk or nww.nchod.nhs.uk), released October 2008. 
		
	
	Where there is more than one readmission within 28 days, each readmission is counted once, in relation to the previous discharge. The data available do not make it possible to link multiple readmissions to one another or to the original discharge.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates have been made for the annual costs that would be incurred by local authorities under the policy options published as part of Safe, Sensible, SocialConsultation on Further Action Impact Assessments.

Dawn Primarolo: The impact assessment on the retail code, produced by Home Office, noted that the proposals could entail additional costs and resources for local authorities, but it did not estimate these costs, these were set out in the impact assessment as 'not estimated'.
	Enforcement costs were not estimated for the advertising or labelling proposals. No decision has been made on a suitable body to enforce the advertising proposal, should this be taken forward. The costs of enforcing labelling requirements would be estimated alongside the existing costs of enforcement of labelling legislation for trading standards departments of local authorities.

Cancer: Drugs

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made for benchmarking purposes of the level of spending on cancer drugs in other European countries compared with England; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1054W.

Cancer: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer patients West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust cared for in each financial year from 1997 to 2007, broken down by type of cancer.

Ann Keen: Data are not collected in the format requested. A table showing a count of finished consultant episodes where there was a primary or secondary diagnosis of cancer in the years 1997-98 to 2006-07 for West Hertfordshire Hospital NHS Trust and the hospitals from which the organisation was formed has been placed in the Library. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which the FCE finishes. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department has given to continuing assessments of orphan treatments for rarer cancers under the standard health technology assessment process.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State for Health's statement to the House of 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 131, about Professor Mike Richards's review of current policy concerning national health service patients who wish to pay for additional private drugs.

Care Homes

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will require all residential and private nursing homes to have an impaired swallowing policy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will instruct the Commission for Social Care Inspection to require residential and private nursing homes to demonstrate an ability to meet the needs of residents with impaired swallowing; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will take steps to ensure that those with impaired swallowing living in residential care and private nursing receive appropriate care and assistance; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many people have suffered fatal and near fatal choking through impaired swallowing in residential care and private nursing homes in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: All care homes are required by the Care Homes Regulations 2001 and associated national minimum standards to promote and make proper provision for the health and welfare of service users.
	This includes ensuring that an assessment of the needs of each service user has been carried out by a suitably qualified or suitably trained person and that this assessment is kept under constant review.
	Care homes are required to prepare a written service user's plan, which sets out how service users' health and welfare needs are to be met. This will include demonstrating an ability to meet the needs of residents with impaired swallowing. These plans must be made available to the regulator, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), if requested.
	Care homes must ensure that at all times suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health and welfare of service users. They must also ensure that staff receive training appropriate to the work they are to perform.
	Care homes must satisfy CSCI that they are able to meet all the needs of service users. CSCI will take appropriate enforcement action if it has any concerns about the welfare of residents.
	Care homes are required to notify CSCI of serious incidents, including the death of, or serious injury to a resident. However, specific information on the numbers of people who have suffered fatal and near fatal choking through impaired swallowing in residential care and private nursing homes is not collected centrally.

Carers: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered in Suffolk as carers in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: This information is not held centrally.

Continuing Care: Finance

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to begin the national pilot programme on primary care trusts making direct payments for people eligible for fully funded continuing care; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: As announced in the Next Stage Review, we will launch a pilot programme in 2009 to test personal health budgets, as a way of giving patients greater control over the services they receive and the providers from which they receive services.
	As part of the programme, we intend to pilot the use of health care direct payments, where it makes most sense for particular patients in specific circumstances. We intend to bring forward legislation to enable this; subject to parliamentary approval, we will extend the pilot programme to include health care direct payments from 2010.
	The rest of the programme will explore models of personal health budget where the budget is held on the patient's behalf. These are already available to primary care trusts under current legislation, and also offer considerable scope to give patients more choice and control.

Dementia

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he plans to spend on implementation of the national dementia strategy over the next five years.

Phil Hope: No decisions have been made yet about the resources that will accompany the national dementia strategy. Funding will be announced when the strategy is published, which we aim to do by the end of the year.

Dental Services

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts fund the employment of oral health specialists to promote preventative dental treatment and good oral hygiene through the education of patients.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally. We recognise that oral health improvement officers are capable of achieving significant reductions in the prevalence of dental disease. Our Oral Health Plan: Choosing Better Oral Health, which was published in October 2005, notes that the specialist skills of oral health promoters should be maintained and recommends that primary care trusts review career pathways to encourage recruitment and retention. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.

Dental Services: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of dentists in each county in the East of England undertake NHS work.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of dentists that undertake solely private dental work is not collected.
	The numbers of dentists with NHS activity during the years ending 31 March, 2007 and 2008 are available in table G1 of annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007/08 report. Information is provided by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT). This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006.
	Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March. This report, published on 21 August 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708
	The published numbers relate to headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.
	Information on dentists that undertake some NHS work and their division of time between NHS and private dentistry work is available in the Dental Working Hours, England and Wales 2006/07 and 2007/08 report. Table 9 of this report contains the average percentage of time dedicated to NHS dentistry in England and Wales and by SHA in England in 2006-07 and 2007-08. This report has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalworkinghours0708
	The aforementioned reports have been published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Departmental Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many external consultants are contracted to work for his Department.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of full-time equivalent external consultants working for the Department on 30 September 2008 was 41.2.

Departmental Consultants

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) objective and  (b) monetary value was of each (i) contract and (ii) order placed with (A) Deloitte and Touche, (B) Ernst and Young, (C) KPMG, (D) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (E) PA Consulting by (1) his Department and (2) its agencies in each year since 2004-05.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information on contracts in the format requested. To do so would attract disproportionate cost.
	A new business management system, which was introduced on 1 July 2008, is able to gather such future but not retrospective information for the Department.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies.

Ben Bradshaw: In accordance with HM Treasury guidance the Department has reported significant outstanding contingent liabilities in its Resource Accounts each year. These accounts were laid in the House on the following dates: 2007-08 accounts9 October 2008, 2006-07 accounts11 October 2007, 2005-06 accounts6 November 2006, 2004-05 accounts14 November 2005, 2003-04 accounts20 December 2004. Non-departmental public bodies have similar arrangements. Inquiries have not brought to light any contingent liabilities reported to the House separately by minute during this period.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on entertainment by his Department in 2007-08; and how much of that was for  (a) food,  (b) alcohol,  (c) staff and  (d) accommodation.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on overnight accommodation by his Department's civil servants in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has authority to reimburse the expenses incurred by its own staff in connection with their employment, subject to the conditions set out in section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code, which can be viewed at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/iam/codes/csmc/index.asp
	Further departmental guidance is available for all staff to ensure that they are fully aware of how to claim and to ensure that claims are appropriate. The Department has a contract with a travel company who negotiate reduced rates and oversee the booking of hotel accommodation within the set guidelines. If there are no hotels available within the set rate then it is possible to exceed the limit.
	In the period October 2007-September 2008 the Department's spend on overnight accommodation by civil servants was 1,348,846.00

Departmental Pay

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum level of bonus is for staff at each (i) NHS grade and (ii) civil service grade in his Department.

Ben Bradshaw: All staff in the Department are employed in civil service grades and not national health service grades. For instance a senior medical doctor employed in a policy expert capacity would be paid at a senior civil service (SCS) grade.
	The Department has two sets of arrangements under which bonuses can be awarded.
	Special bonuses may be awarded to any member of staff at any stage of the year, in recognition of work beyond their normal range of duties. There is a maximum level of bonus of 2,000, although very few of this value are awarded, but there is no prescribed minimum level.
	Annual bonuses may be awarded to staff who are members of the SCS, based on the extent to which objectives are met, how they are met and how stretching they are. Pay arrangements for senior civil servants are common across all Departments and agencies, although they have flexibility on the specific values of bonuses within a common framework. Annual bonuses for 2008 had a maximum value of 15 per cent. of salary as at 31 March 2008 and a minimum value of 5 per cent. of salary as at 31 March 2008.

Departmental Policy

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) reviews,  (b) consultations,  (c) advisory panels,  (d) specialist adviser appointments and  (e) strategies he has authorised in the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Vacancies

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant posts in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies were advertised in each of the last three years; and at what cost.

Ben Bradshaw: The numbers of vacant posts advertised in the Department and its agencies in the last three years and the associated costs are given in the following table:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Organisation  Number of vacant posts  Advert costs  Number of vacant posts  Advert costs  Number of vacant posts  Advert costs 
			 Core Department (1)48 (2)309,578 (2)12 (3)109,574 (4)48 (3)92,044 
			 Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency n/a 438,799 67 446,547 69 386,698 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency 39 95,002 11 30,394 16 41,461 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Senior Civil Service (SCS) only (2) SCS only (3) SCS 2 and above only (4) All grades  Note: MHRA numbers of vacant posts are for calendar years. 
		
	
	For the majority of staff in the Core Department, the business units that carry out recruiting pay for recruitment costs locally. To gather the information from local sources would incur a disproportionate cost. However, some information is available on the cost of recruitment advertising for staff in Senior Civil Service (SCS) Payband 2 and above for the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08, and for all staff in the SCS for 2005-06, and this is presented in the table.

Diabetes: General Practitioners

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which GP practices do not participate in the quality and outcomes framework for diabetes.

Ann Keen: The number of general practitioner practices taking part in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is very high with 99.8 per cent, of the registered population in England covered. Of the 8,294 practices included in the Information Centre for Health and Social Care's 2007-08 publication on QOF achievement, four practices did not achieve the indicator to show they produced a diabetes register. We are unable to state whether these practices chose not to take part in the diabetes area of QOF, or were not able to achieve the requirements of the registration indicator, or if there were other reasons for the non-supply of data.

Drugs: Prices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has held with the pharmaceutical industry on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation scheme.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government and the pharmaceutical industry have reached agreement on key components of a potential new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme agreement, negotiation with the industry on the detail of this agreement has continued on a confidential basis.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many problematic drug users were referred by GPs to residential treatment in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people received residential rehabilitation treatment for drug abuse in the last period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 28 October 2008
	The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) collects data on the local services via the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS).
	The NDTMS reports that 4,306 individuals received residential rehabilitation treatment during 2007-08. Of these, 97 had been referred to this treatment by a general practitioner. Of those, 51 began residential rehabilitation treatment during the year (as opposed to already being in treatment at the start of 2007-08).
	While these figures include problem drug users (defined as users of opiates and/or crack cocaine). NDTMS does not record the proportion of the total that they represent.
	These figures are likely to be an underestimate of the real level of activity because about one-third of providers of residential rehabilitation services in England do not submit any returns to NDTMS.
	The NTA does not have direct powers to require NDTMS returns from the independent voluntary sector providers but will be exploring how this can be achieved by commissioners of these services.

General Practitioners: Income

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he estimates the minimum income practice guarantee will be in the general medical services contract for 2009-10.

Ben Bradshaw: The level of minimum practice income guarantee payments for 2009-10 are dependent on recommendations to be made by the Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) on the level of gross uplift to be applied to general medical services contract payments. DDRB recommendations are unlikely to be known until spring 2009.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the performance of GP surgeries in the provision of out-of-hours services.

Ben Bradshaw: Primary care trusts (PCTs) have a responsibility to ensure they provide, or secure provision of a high quality, sustainable service for their local population. All out-of-hours service providers are contractually bound to deliver to the standards of the national quality requirements. Where a provider is failing to meet the quality requirements, it is the responsibility of the PCT as the commissioner of the service, and the strategic health authority to support the out-of-hours provider to improve their performance.
	The independent health regulator, Healthcare Commission, review of urgent and emergency care, Not just a matter of time, (published on 26 September 2008) found that the national health service has made significant progress on performance against the national quality requirements.
	We have commissioned the Primary Care Foundation to develop an out of hours benchmarking tool. The benchmarking tool assists PCTs in improving the quality of care and increase the scope of potential savings through effective benchmarking. Over 70 PCTs have now signed up to benchmark the performance of their out-of-hours providers.
	We are also developing an indicator to measure patient reported access to out-of-hours care. This indicator will be a tier 1 vital sign which means that it is a national priority for the NHS for 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Health Centres

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a primary care trust has full discretion to decide whether a GP-led health centre should be opened in the area for which they are responsible in light of the commitment to local decision-making given in paragraph 5, page 23 of his Department's recent document, High Quality Care For All - NHS Next Stage Review Final Report.

Ben Bradshaw: The NHS Operating Framework 2008-09 (which is available in the Library) set out the Department of Health's expectation that all primary care trusts (PCTs) will secure a new general practitioner-led health centre using their share of the new and additional 250 million access fund and all PCTs are at advanced stages of the process to deliver these extra services. We have consistently emphasised the need for strong public and clinical engagement in making decisions on the location of these services and the services they will provide.

Health Centres

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his policy that each primary care trust should establish at least one polyclinic.

Ben Bradshaw: No. What we have asked each primary care trust to establish is a new general practitioner (GP)-led health centre, where any member of the public (regardless of which GP practice they are registered with) can book an appointment or simply walk in and see a GP or nurse, from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week, or with which they can choose to register.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the level of take-up by acute trusts of each product on the market designed to combat healthcare-acquired infections.

Ann Keen: It is for local organisations to decide on the most effective and appropriate products to meet local needs when continuing to tackle infection and improve cleanliness. The Department therefore does not assess the level of take-up by acute trusts of all individual products on the market.
	The Department does have a range of programmes to support the national health service by accelerating the development and uptake of new technologies or innovations that help improve infection prevention and control. As part of this initiative, the Rapid Review Panel equips trusts with the information to make purchasing decisions, providing a prompt assessment of new and novel equipment, materials and other products or protocols that may be of value to the NHS in improving infection and control.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to bring the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act into force; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: It is intended that the majority of the provisions in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill will be commenced in October 2009. It is planned that the provisions relating to parenthood in part 2 (and related consequential provisions) of the Bill will be commenced in April 2009 and that provisions relating to parental orders will be commenced in April 2010.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the GDP deflator in the revised Part IX proposals has not been structured in the same way as for wound care and reagents; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Part IX review is currently ongoing, and the consultation published in June 2008 was seeking views on a proposed price increase mechanism, which takes into account annual efficiency targets that are set for the national health service itself.
	As one of the aims of this review is to secure value for money for the NHS this proposal is consistent with this aim.
	As this is a consultation process, no decision has been made yet as to what the final mechanism will be.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors his Department considered when proposing that future changes in the price of products on Part IX of the Drug Tariff should be aligned to NHS efficiency targets through the GDP deflator in the revised Part IX proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Part IX review is currently ongoing, and the consultation published in June 2008 was seeking views on a proposed price increase mechanism. One of the aims of this review has been to provide value for money to the national health service.
	A proposal that aligns potential product price increases from suppliers to the cost efficiencies the NHS sets itself is an equitable consideration.
	As this is a consultation process, no decision has been made yet as to what the final mechanism will be.

Lasers: Medical Equipment

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to  (a) the Healthcare Commission and  (b) the health care industry of regulation of class 3B and 4 lasers and intense pulsed light equipment in (i) medical and surgical procedures and (ii) cosmetic procedures.

Ben Bradshaw: The cost of regulation of class 3B and 4 lasers and intense pulsed light equipment in cosmetic procedures is set out in the Private and Voluntary Healthcare Consultation document 2008 and is estimated to be 1.2 million per year.
	The cost of regulating medical/surgical procedures forms part of the regulatory costs for hospitals. Fees for the independent sector are set at a level which reflects the regulatory effort the Healthcare Commission must undertake. The cost of regulation to the health care industry relates directly to the Healthcare Commission's costs for regulation.
	Neither the Department nor the Healthcare Commission has made any estimate of the cost of using class 3B and 4 lasers and intense pulsed light equipment as part of medical or surgical procedures.

Maternity Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 375W, on maternity services, 
	(1)  how much of the 330 million allocation for improvements to maternity services each primary care trust will receive; and how these allocations have been decided;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of guidance his Department has sent to primary care trusts relating to the additional sums made available to them in the current and future financial years to improve maternity care.

Ann Keen: The Government are putting extra funding of 330 million over three years for maternity services into primary care trust (PCT) baseline revenue allocations for 2008-09 to 2010-11.
	Revenue allocations are made to PCTs on the basis of a weighted capitation formula. The aim of the formula is to ensure there is sufficient funding to provide equal access for equal need in all parts of the country, and to reduce avoidable health inequalities. The key determinant of need is the size of the population for which PCTs are responsible. This is then adjusted to take into account age related need, additional need (over and above that accounted for by age), and unavoidable geographical variations in the cost of providing services (the market forces factor). Revenue allocations are not broken down into funding for individual policy streams such as maternity.
	However, the NHS Operating Framework for 2008-09 (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library), the key planning document for the NHS, identified maternity services as an area where PCTs are expected to take particular action to improve access as part of the wider Maternity Matters Strategy to deliver safe, high-quality care.
	In the light of the NHS Operating Framework, PCTs set priorities and commission services that meet the needs of their local communities, and that is what they are doing on maternity services.

Midwives: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwifery training places there were in each English region in each academic year since 1997-98.

Ann Keen: The number of midwifery training places in each English region for the academic years 2003-04 to 2007-08 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Midwifery training places by Strategic Health Authority in England for 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			North East SHA  North West SHA  Yorkshire and the Humber SHA  East Midlands SHA  West Midlands SHA  East of England SHA  London SHA  South East Coast SHA  South Central SHA  South West SHA  England Total 
			 2004-04 Degree 49 107 87 43 159 36 108 63 46 55 753 
			  Diploma 0 88 37 94 0 128 179 64 61 65 716 
			  18 month diploma 28 86 90 23 56 86 224 69 60 35 757 
			  Total 77 281 214 160 215 250 511 196 167 155 2,226 
			  
			 2004-05 Degree 51 112 87 36 188 61 147 75 55 83 895 
			  Diploma  104 37 116 0 124 197 59 65 42 744 
			  18 month diploma 27 75 88 12 65 75 259 50 51 33 735 
			  Total 78 291 212 164 253 260 603 184 171 158 2,374 
			  
			 2005-06 Degree 58 167 97 34 170 69 76 71 32 117 891 
			  Diploma  48 18 74 0 106 95 8 28 20 397 
			  18 month diploma 26 69 88 22 44 54 141 29 30 28 531 
			  Total 84 284 203 130 214 229 312 108 90 165 1,819 
			  
			 2006-07 Degree 60 169 103 31 171 7 195 89 59 99 983 
			  Diploma 0 15 15 94 0 166 106 53 67 24 540 
			  18 month diploma 24 65 94 13 57 42 87 47 23 15 467 
			  Total 84 249 212 138 228 215 388 189 149 138 1,990 
			  
			 2007-08 Degree 65 213 162 31 194 204 115 90 114 119 1,307 
			  Diploma 0 0 23 102 0 29 149 61 28 20 412 
			  18 month diploma 20 34 0 14 39 0 168 49 28 0 352 
			  Total 85 247 185 147 233 233 432 200 170 139 2,071 
		
	
	As the regions were organised differently and had different boundaries prior to 2003-04, it is not possible to map the information accurately to give the regional numbers. The national number of midwifery training places for England is shown in the following table for the academic year 1996-97 onwards.
	
		
			  Training numbers of midwives for England 
			   1996- 97  1999 - 2000  2001- 02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005 - 06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Degree 161 395 621 709 753 895 891 788 1,307 
			 Diploma 498 620 525 724 716 744 397 648 412 
			 Other 993 757 732 677 757 735 531 554 352 
			 Total 1,652 1,772 1,878 2,110 2,226 2,374 1,819 1,990 2,071 
			  Source:  Quarterly Monitoring Returns.

NHS: Bank Services

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial advice Sector Treasury Services has given to NHS bodies on investing in Icelandic banks.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not have any contact with Sector Treasury Services, and does not have any information regarding advice provided by Sector Treasury Services to individual national health service organisations.
	Under the Statements of Internal Control, NHS organisations are free to contract out financial administration and financial management functions, including treasury services, to any organisation that management deems suitable. The Department does not collect any information on individual organisations' contracted-out services.
	In addition, NHS organisations are free to solicit advice from any third party that management deems suitable and/or qualified. Once again, the Department does not collect any information on the advice that individual organisation receive from a third party.

NHS: Compensation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid in compensation to patients by each trust in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: The document, Clinical negligence payments by trusts between 1998 and 2008, has been placed in the Library and contains the information requested. The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) supplied the data.
	 Notes
	1. Reconfigurations of commissioner and providers will mean that some trusts will have been dissolved. The NHSLA has indicated where a trust has been dissolved, and has provided the date of dissolution when the exact date is known by the NHSLA.
	2. Prior to April 2002, trusts handled their own claims below a certain excess. From April 2002, all claims were centralised and handled by the NHSLA. Therefore, around this period the NHSLA repaid money to some trusts that already expended money on those newly centralised claims.

NHS: Drugs

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to introduce the new process for developing the quality and outcomes framework of the General Medicines Services contract.

Ben Bradshaw: We expect the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to oversee the process for the developing and reviewing new indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework from April 2009 as set out in the published consultation document (a copy of which has been placed in the Library).

NHS: Drugs

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to consult stakeholders over the process for developing the quality and outcomes framework of the General Medicines Services contract.

Ben Bradshaw: We launched a public consultation on the proposed new process for developing and reviewing clinical indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework to be led by NICE on 30 October 2008. The Department is holding five national stakeholder events with patient and professional groups, NHS commissioners and other stakeholders in order to consult them on how the new process should work.

NHS: Drugs

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with  (a) the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and  (b) other stakeholders on redesigning the process for developing the quality and outcomes framework of the General Medicines Service contract.

Ben Bradshaw: Departmental officials have met with representatives from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of General Practitioners to discuss proposals for a new process for the Quality and Outcomes Framework and discussions have also taken place with the British Medical Association (BMA). We launched a public consultation on the proposed new process for developing and reviewing clinical indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework to be led by NICE on 30 October 2008. A copy of this consultation has already been placed in the Library. The Department is holding five national stakeholder events with patient and professional groups, national health service commissioners and other stakeholders in order to consult them on how the new process should work.

NHS: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) capital,  (b) revenue and  (c) other funding he has provided to (i) the NHS Blood and Transplant Authority, (ii) NHS Professionals, (iii) the Commission for Social Care Inspection, (iv) the General Social Care Council, (v) the Healthcare Commission, (vi) the Appointments Commission, (vii) the Mental Health Act Commission, (viii) the Social Care Institute for Excellence, (ix) the Hepatitis Advisory Group, (x) the AIDS Expert Advisory Group and (xi) the Healthcare Regulatory Council in each of the last 10 years; and what funding he plans to provide to each in future years.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Arm's length bodies 
			  000 
			  Name of body  Capital  Revenue 
			  2004-05   
			 Appointments Commission 0 4,011 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 4,000 96,961 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 99 2,519 
			 General Social Care Council 1,500 22,480 
			 Healthcare Commission 1,591 56,443 
			 Mental Health Act Commission 0 5,049 
			 NHS Professionals 0 31,534 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Appointments Commission 0 4,156 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 7,136 82,864 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 50 2,320 
			 General Social Care Council 2,350 10,675 
			 Healthcare Commission 2,591 68,851 
			 Mental Health Act Commission 9 5,186 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant(1) 17,750 24,287 
			 NHS Professionals 4,073 43,927 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Appointments Commission 0 5,200 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 19,978 79,645 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 33 2,000 
			 General Social Care Council 2,650 13,356 
			 Healthcare Commission 4,400 67,667 
			 Mental Health Act Commission 331 5,391 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 21,157 33,218 
			 NHS Professionals 976 20,024 
			
			  2007-08   
			 Appointments Commission 50 3,745 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 18,707 69,705 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 33 1,778 
			 General Social Care Council 1,461 12,313 
			 Healthcare Commission 4,800 65,132 
			 Mental Health Act Commission 158 5,748 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 39,978 26,842 
			 NHS Professionals 673 14,050 
			
			  2008-09( 2)   
			 Appointments Commission 500 4,115 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection 14,000 70,890 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 50 1,950 
			 General Social Care Council 1,100 10,987 
			 Healthcare Commission 4,100 62,572 
			 Mental Health Act Commission 0 5,748 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant 23,745 51,998 
			 NHS Professionals 500 10,048 
			 (1) Set up 1 October 2005, six month account (2 )These are the provisional funding figures 
		
	
	No decision has been taken on the budgets for these organisations for 2009-10 onwards.
	
		
			  Charities 
			  000 
			  Name of body  Capital  Revenue 
			  2004-05   
			 Social Care Institute for Excellence 0 7,283 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Social Care Institute for Excellence 0 6,226 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Social Care Institute for Excellence 0 7,745 
			
			  2007-08   
			 Social Care Institute for Excellence 0 7,295 
		
	
	The figures for 2008-09 are not yet available
	No decision has been taken on the budgets for this organisation for 2009-10 onwards.
	 Advisory non-departmental public bodies
	The Hepatitis Advisory Group and the AIDS Expert Advisory Group are advisory non-departmental public bodies and have no budgets in their own right. The secretariat for both are provided by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the cost of expenses paid to the members cannot be separately identified from the HPA costs.

NHS: Manpower

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts have made projections of staff shortfalls in the next 12 months; and in which departments.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS: Patients

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have had their entitlement to NHS treatment withdrawn as the result of their choosing non-NHS drugs in each  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust in the last 12 months; and what proportion of patients treated this figure represents in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not held centrally. However, the vast majority of NHS patients receive the treatment their clinician recommends on the NHS. The issue of NHS care being withdrawn as a result of purchasing additional private drugs has only affected a very small number of patients.
	In response to the report 'Improving access to medicines for NHS patients' by Professor Mike Richards, the National Clinical Director for Cancer, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health gave an oral statement to the House on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 131, outlining a package of measures to widen access to drugs on the NHS. Following this statement, the NHS chief executive has written to the NHS to make it clear that no patients should lose their entitlement to NHS care as a result of buying additional private care, as long as that additional care is delivered separately.
	Copies of the full report Improving access to medicines for NHS patients have already been placed in the Library and can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_089927.

NHS: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average annual payment per person to members of the NHS pension scheme was in 2008.

Ann Keen: The last published resource accounts for the NHS pension scheme England and Wales are for the year ending 31 March 2007. The estimated average annual payment per person was 6,367. Data are not available for the year ending 31 March 2008.

NHS: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals belong to the  (a) old and  (b) new NHS pension scheme.

Ann Keen: The last published resource accounts for the NHS pension scheme England and Wales are for the year ending 31 March 2007. Data for this year show there were 1,291,582 active members, 399,152 deferred members and 558,079 pensioner members of the 1995 section of the NHS pension scheme. The 2008 section of the scheme was introduced from 1 April 2008. Data on the number of members of the 2008 section will only become available after the 2008-09 accounts have been laid.

NHS: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of active members in the NHS pension scheme joined on or after 1 April 2008; and what projections he has made of changes to this figure over time.

Ann Keen: From 1 April 2008, new entrants to the national health service and those returning after a break of five years or more participate in the 2008 section of the NHS pension scheme. Data on the number of members of the 2008 section will only become available after the 2008-09 accounts have been laid.
	No projections have been made of the changes over time to the proportion of active members who joined on or after 1 April 2008.
	Projections of how the proportion of members who join after April 2006 would increase over time were made in the context of the Public Services Forum agreement in October 2005. The figures were calculated by scheme actuaries on the basis of data and assumptions they use for each scheme. The following table indicates the staff turnover assumed across the pension schemes for teachers, the NHS and civil servants that were the subject of the agreement at the Public Services Forum on 18 October 2005.
	
		
			  Estimated proportion of the combined pensionable payroll relating to scheme members who join after April 2006 
			   Percentage 
			 2006 0 
			 2013 33 
			 2018 50 
			 2023 64 
			 2028 77 
			 2033 86 
			 2038 93 
			 2043 97

NHS: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effect on the amount of liabilities in the NHS pension scheme of the outcome in March 2008 of the judicial review into the calculation of GPs' pensions.

Ann Keen: Following the judicial review into the calculation of general practitioners' pensions, dynamisation factors have been agreed as shown in the following table. The impact has been estimated as an increase of around 250 million to the scheme liability disclosed at the most recent full actuarial valuation.
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2004-05 20.4 
			 2005-06 11.6 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 0

Nurses: Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses per 100 beds there were in  (a) England,  (b) the West Suffolk Hospital and  (c) Ipswich Hospital in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The number of qualified nurses per 100 beds in England, the West Suffolk hospital and Ipswich hospital in each year since 1997 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: qualified nursing and midwifery staff per 100 beds( 1)  in England and each specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 England 150 154 160 163 171 180 189 197 206 211 221 
			  O f which :
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 93 87 103 101 117 128 140 150 16 170 173 
			 Ipswich Hospitals NHS Trust 124 135 188 139 153 156 157 167 167 165 171 
			 (1) Average daily number of available beds, all ward types. (2 )Beds figures are for the financial year.  Note: Data Quality Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Sources:  The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census Department of Health form KH03

Nurses: Schools

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Norfolk of 3 June 2008,  Official Report, column 911W, on nurses: schools, if he will give the figures for each  (a) region,  (b) care home and  (c) hospital.

Ann Keen: The number of school nurses employed in England by region is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nurses working in the area of school nursing in England by strategic health authority area as at 30 September 2007 
			  Headcount 
			   School nursing nurses  O f which :  qualified school nurses( 1) 
			 England 3,162 1,227 
			
			 North East Strategic Health Authority 166 57 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority 673 250 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority 389 181 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 267 67 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority 376 187 
			 East of England Strategic Health Authority 241 77 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 432 168 
			 South East Coast Strategic Health Authority 201 89 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority 166 67 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority 251 84 
			 '' = zero (1) Qualified school nurses hold the NMC Specialist Practice Qualification with an outcome in school nursingwhich is a recordable qualification on the NMC register.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census 
		
	
	The number of school nurses is not available for each care home or hospital. School nurses are generally employed by primary care trusts. However, some school nurses are directly employed by state and independent schools and the national work force census for national health service staff does not capture these numbers.

Obesity

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department assesses the effectiveness of its strategies in tackling obesity.

Dawn Primarolo: Progress is measured against data on Body Mass Index, included in the Health Survey for England and the National Child Measurement Programme.

Official Cars

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of provision of Government cars to special advisers in his Department has been in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: None. The Department does not provide special advisers with Government cars.

Organs: Donors

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Organ Donation Taskforce to report on the issue of presumed consent.

Ann Keen: The Organ Donation Taskforce has now completed its inquiry into the potential impact on organ donation rates of introducing an opt-out system of consent. I expect the taskforce to publish its report within the next few weeks.

Perinatal Mortality

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether there is a national strategy for reducing the number of stillbirths;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the trends in the numbers of stillbirths in different regions.

Ann Keen: There is no specific national strategy for reducing stillbirths. However, the purpose of the following publications is to improve the outcomes for mothers and babies:
	National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Standard 11 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library);
	National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines; and
	Maternity Matters, Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service (a copy of which has been placed in the Library).
	These policies include offering screening for abnormalities and pre-conception care and monitoring for complications of pregnancy that may effect foetal growth and well-being.
	The Confidential Enquiry for Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) report Perinatal Mortality 2006England Wales and Northern Ireland, published in May 2008 found no significant change in the stillbirth rate and stated that differences in mortality rates between trusts should not be interpreted as direct indicators of the quality of care as it is not yet possible to adjust for case mix or the socio-demographic characteristics of the population. A copy of this report has already been placed in the Library.

Plain English

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many documents produced by his Department were submitted to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in each year since 2005; and how many documents achieved such status in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of exempt prescription items were dispensed to people aged 60 years or over in  (a) Vale of York constituency and  (b) England in the last three years;
	(2)  what percentage of prescription items were dispensed free to patients in  (a) Vale of York constituency and  (b) England in the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of prescription items exempt from the prescription charge is available for primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. There is an exemption category for the elderly, defined as men and women aged 60 and over. Figures are taken from a one in 20 sample of prescriptions. The figures provided are for the PCT which is the closest match to the Vale of York, namely North Yorkshire and York PCT.
	Figures show the percentage of all prescription items exempt from the prescription charge where the exemption category was given as elderly.
	
		
			  Items dispensed in the community by calendar year 
			  Percentage 
			  Region  Exemption status  2005  2006  2007 
			 England Proportion to exempt patients 87.6 88.0 88.6 
			  Proportion of exempt prescriptions to 60+ 64.9 66.6 66.5 
			  
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT Proportion to exempt patients 86.1 86.4 86.8 
			  Proportion of exempt prescriptions to 60+ 73.0 73.7 74.2 
			  Source: PCA dataexemption category estimates

Scarborough Hospital

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capacity increases have been made at Scarborough Hospital as a consequence of closures of services at Bridlington Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This is a matter for the national health service locally to determine.
	The recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) on proposals to reconfigure acute and coronary services at Bridlington and district hospital were accepted in full by the Secretary of State for Health on 4 September 2008.
	The IRP recommended that it was not in the best clinical interests of patients to continue cardiac and acute medical admissions at Bridlington and district hospital and that providing these services to the standards set out in national clinical guidance was not sustainable. The IRP recommended that these services should transfer to Scarborough hospital as soon as the appropriate staff and facilities are in place to handle the extra in-patients.
	The implementation of the agreed service change proposals is a matter for the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust. The North Yorkshire and York and the East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trusts will monitor progress together with the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority.

Suffolk Primary Care Trust: Pay

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by Suffolk Primary Care Trust on salaries and wages for  (a) general and senior managers,  (b) nurses and midwives and  (c) administrative and clerical staff in each year since its creation.

Ann Keen: Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) was established on 1 October 2006. Data are provided for 2006-07 and 2007-08.
	
		
			  000 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			 Managers and senior managers 5,421 7,661 
			 Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 23,200 22,434 
			 Administrative and clerical staff 5,288 5,500 
			  Notes: 1. Suffolk PCT was established on 1 October 2006 from four dissolving PCTs: Suffolk Coastal, Ipswich, Central Suffolk and Suffolk West. Note that the 2006-07 figures contain data for the four former PCTs for the first six months of the financial year plus Suffolk PCT for the second half of the financial year and may be distorted due to the merger. It is not possible to split the 2006-07 data between the former PCTs and Suffolk PCT. 2. Data include salaries and wages, social security costs and pension contributions. It is not possible to separately identify salaries and wages for these groups of staff.  3 Figures include permanently employed staff and non-NHS staff, e.g. agency staff.  Source: Information is from the 2006-07 and 2007-08 financial returns for Suffolk PCT. The data are not audited but are validated to the audited financial monitoring and accounts forms.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research on foreign commercial activity using algal biofuel was commissioned or evaluated by the Carbon Trust before the announcement of its Algae Biofuel Challenge.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Carbon Trust commissioned a three-month scoping study in 2007, which included an assessment of overseas private-sector activity in algae biofuels. This was followed in 2008 by a stakeholder workshop organised by the Carbon Trust, at which the international experts in the algae community were well represented, and attendance by Carbon Trust employees at a number of international scientific conferences. The detailed design of the Algae Biofuels Challenge was then carried out in consultation with a leading US-based expert, who has detailed knowledge of the companies in the US and elsewhere that have received significant investment for algae biofuels technology.

Bus Services: Concessions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers local authorities have to offer  (a) free and  (b) subsidised bus services in areas where commercial bus services operate.

Paul Clark: The Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 provides that everyone aged 60 and over in England, and eligible disabled people in England, will get free off-peak travel on all local buses anywhere in England. The off-peak concession applies between 9.30 am and 11 pm on weekdays, and all day weekends and bank holidays. This scheme gives the opportunity of greater freedom and independence to more than 11 million people.
	In addition to the mandatory concession, local authorities outside London have the discretion to offer further travel concessions to eligible residents, under section 93 of the Transport Act 1985.
	In London, the London Councils operate a discretionary Freedom Pass scheme on behalf of all 33 London boroughs. This entitles all London residents over the age of 60 to free travel on bus, tube, national rail and DLR/tram services in Greater London all day at the weekend and after 9 am on a weekday; and since April 2003, disabled pass holders have had free 24-hour access to these services.
	In the event that the discretionary scheme operated in London did not offer certain minimum bus (and other) concessions for London residents, the 'reserve free travel scheme' provisions under section 240 of the GLA Act 1999 would be triggered.
	Section 63 of the Transport Act 1985 provides for a local authority to secure through the payment of subsidy the provision of bus services which meet a public transport requirement that would not otherwise be met. Sections 89-92 of the 1985 Act, as amended by section 152 of the Transport Act 2000, set out the obligations to invite tenders for contracts for the provision of subsidised bus services. Section 153 of the Transport Act 2000 applies the competition test included in schedule 10 of that Act to the exercise of a local authority's functions relating to subsidised bus services. The Local Transport Bill, now before Parliament, includes an amendment to section 63 of the 1985 Act which will enable local authorities to use its subsidy powers where a service of a particular standard would not be provided without subsidy.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies.

Geoff Hoon: Department for Transport informed the House of contingent liabilities on the following dates:
	4 February 2004
	25 February 2004
	15 September 2004
	2 March 2005
	15 June 2005
	11 July 2005
	25 July 2005
	22 May 2006
	5 July 2006
	20 October 2006
	11 December 2007
	4 November 2008.
	The Department discloses its contingent liabilities in its Resource Accounts in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 12, as interpreted by HM Treasury's Financial Reporting Manual.

Government Car and Despatch Agency: Marketing

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on  (a) design fees,  (b) printing costs,  (c) painting of vehicles and  (d) consultancy fees with regard to the corporate logo of the Government Car and Despatch Agency in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) 2008 to date.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The Government Car and Despatch spent the following amounts on its corporate logo:
	
		
			   
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008 to date 
			 Printing costs 608.00 9,213.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Painting of vehicles 0.00 2,926.00 2,365.00 665.00 
			 Consultancy and design fees 54,420.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
		
	
	GCDA undertook a major rebranding exercise, agreed with the Cabinet Office, just before it joined the Department for Transport in 2005. A design consultancy was appointed through open competition to develop the new corporate logo and separate product logos for Government Mail and Government Cars. The rebranding has been very successful in raising the awareness of the agency and its services, particularly for Government Mail.
	There are no plans to change the current logos.

Motorways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the revenue which would accrue from charging motorists for using hard shoulders as emergency lanes; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Government have no plans to charge motorists to use the hard shoulder so no estimate has been made of the revenues that could be raised.

Motorways: Accidents

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of deaths from traffic accidents occurred on motorways in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The proportion of fatalities resulting from personal injury road accidents on Motorways in Great Britain was 6 per cent. in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
	Casualties by road type are published in table 5c of Road Casualties Great Britain: 2007 annual report. Copies of the report have been deposited in Libraries of the House. This table can also be found on the Department's website at the following web address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/172974/173025/221412/221549/227755/2856721/webtables120.xls

Office of Rail Regulation

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regard the Office of Rail Regulation is required to have for the consultation responses it receives before concluding its periodic review; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Office of Rail Regulation stated in the 'Periodic Review 2008, determination of Network Rail's outputs and funding for 2009-14' that
	In making our determination we have considered carefully all the responses we received to our draft determinations.
	For further information you may wish to contact the chief executive of ORR, Mr. Bill Emery, at the following address: 1 Kemble Street, London, WC2B 4AN.

Plain English

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on Plain English Campaign training courses in each year since 2005.

Geoff Hoon: The central Department and its agencies spent the following on Plain English Campaign training courses in each of the last three financial years:
	
		
			
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 2,868

Public Footpaths: Access

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment his Department has made of the levels of use of canal towpaths by cyclists and walkers.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has made no assessment, since the monitoring of local travel patterns is a matter for local authorities and the usage of canal towpaths, a matter for British Waterways.

River Thames

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to work with the Mayor of London on use of the River Thames for  (a) passenger and  (b) freight traffic; what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on the subject since June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Passenger services on the Thames are a matter for Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor. However, the Department is always ready to engage with the Mayor and TfL on issues of this nature. The Department is also ready to engage with the Mayor on freight traffic; although this is not his exclusive remit.
	The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Mayor on these areas since June.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

British Energy: EDF

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Government has elected to receive the  (a) cash offer and  (b) partial CVR alternative following the sale of British Energy to EDF.

Mike O'Brien: In the context of EDF's proposed takeover of British Energy, HMG has given an irrevocable commitment to accept the cash offer of 774p per share rather than the partial CVR alternative.

Energy: Care Homes

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance his Department provides to care homes with meeting energy costs.

Mike O'Brien: None. Care homes fall outside the usual scope of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, which is an obligation on energy suppliers to promote energy saving in the household sector. However action by energy suppliers in care homes may be approved by Ofgem, the scheme regulator, on a case-by-case basis.

Nuclear Power

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what electrical output of each nuclear power station has been in each of the last 24 months.

Mike O'Brien: The Department compiles information on the output of electricity generation companies only for the purpose of producing aggregate statistics. Company level data are commercially sensitive and thus cannot be released.
	Net electricity supply (generation minus own use of electricity) by all nuclear stations, for each of the last 24 months, is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Net electricity supplied by nuclear sources in the last 24 months 
			   Net electricity supplied (TWh) 
			  2006  
			 August 6.21 
			 September 5.19 
			 October 4.04 
			 November 4.32 
			 December 4.90 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 5.03 
			 February 4.49 
			 March 4.61 
			 April 4.36 
			 May 4.43 
			 June 4.94 
			 July 5.55 
			 August 4.99 
			 September 5.19 
			 October 4.49 
			 November 4.54 
			 December 4.63 
			   
			  2008  
			 January 4.61 
			 February 4.48 
			 March 4.05 
			 April 3.21 
			 May 3.94 
			 June 3.92 
			 July 3.60 
			  Source: Energy Trends table 5.3, last updated 25 September 2008 on: http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/energy/statistics/source/electricity/page18527.html

Sellafield

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on which date the previous Energy Minister, the right hon. Member for Croydon North, placed in the Library a copy of the departmental minute covering the indemnification of the new Sellafield parent body organisation, to which reference was made in the letter by the then Energy Minister to the Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts on 14 July 2008.

Mike O'Brien: The intention was to place a copy of the departmental minute in the Libraries of the House on 14 July. Because of an administrative error the minute was not deposited in the Libraries until 15 October. The error is regretted. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee on 3 November, to apologise for the omission, and a copy of his letter has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Solar Power: Housing

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to  (a) reduce the cost of solar panels and  (b) promote their use.

Mike O'Brien: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme, launched in 2006, is the Government's 86 million capital grant programme funding the installation of on-site technologies for householders, communities, public sector and business. The main objectives are to demonstrate the potential for encouraging both energy-efficiency and small-scale technologies in a range of buildings and to drive down costs through economies of scale.
	Since 2002, the Government have spent 26 million on the Solar PV programme and 10 million on PV field trials. To date, the Low Carbon Buildings Programme has allocated 21,471,508 to 7,731 projects using solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technology.
	Electricity generated from Solar PV is also eligible for support under the renewables obligation (RO), which is the Government's main mechanism for encouraging new renewable electricity generation. Generators currently receive one Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) for every 1MWh of renewable electricity. Under reforms to the RO, we are proposing that solar PV receive two ROCs per MW. We recently announced that we will implement a feed-in tariff for small-scale generation up to three MW alongside the Renewables Obligation for large-scale projects.
	The Government have also brought an amendment to the Energy Bill that would allow the establishment of a Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which is a feed-in tariff for renewable heat. The RHI would provide financial support to solar thermal water heating units.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Arts: Copyright

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his policy is on the application of copyright and related rights regulations to the beneficiaries of creators in all sectors of the creative industries; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: There are many rights which may be regarded as related to copyright, and they have arisen in different ways for different reasons in different sectors. Given these differences, it is not possible to say that one general policy should apply for the beneficiaries of all of these rights. The UK must continue to comply with its international and European obligations to beneficiaries of creators.

Departmental Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 549W, on departmental databases, how the Student Loans Company responds in cases where the MOSAIC data predict a decreased likelihood of repaying the student loan.

David Lammy: The Student Loans Company (SLC) uses a composite modelling tool which includes access to one element of MOSAIC data only.
	The tool helps the SLC to predict the likelihood that borrowers who are not currently making repayments would be in a position to do so. It cannot provide any firm assessment of borrowers' ability to repay but it does provide SLC's loan administrators with indicative background when approaching borrowers. Once borrowers' actual positions are establishedon a one-to-one confidential basisaction is agreed accordingly, e.g. to re-establish scheduled instalment repayment amounts, to negotiate lower repayment amounts or, for those earning under the repayment threshold, to facilitate deferment of repayments.
	This applies only to mortgage-style student loans, which were offered to students who started their higher education course before 1998. Since that date, this type of loan has been replaced by income contingent loans which are collected through the UK tax system by HM Revenue and Customs.

Derby University: Research

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much Quality Related funding the University of Derby received in the latest funding round contingent on the results of the 2001 research assessment exercise; and how much of that funding was contingent on rating of research as being of  (a) national and  (b) international excellence.

David Lammy: The 2001 research assessment exercise (RAE) assessed submissions on a seven-point scale:
	
		
			  Grade  
			 5* Quality that equates to attainable levels of international excellence in more than half of the research activity submitted and attainable levels of national excellence in the remainder 
			 5 Quality that equates to attainable levels of international excellence in up to half of the research activity submitted and to attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all of the remainder. 
			 4 Quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all of the research activity submitted, showing some evidence of international excellence. 
			 3a Quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in over two thirds of the research activity submitted, possibly showing evidence of international excellence. 
			 3b Quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in more than half of the research activity submitted. 
			 2 Quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in up to half of the research activity submitted. 
			 1 Quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in none, or virtually none, of the research activity submitted. 
		
	
	HEFCE mainstream quality-related research (QR) funding is allocated to only the top three categories5*, 5 and 4the lowest of which recognised attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all of the research activity submitted. None of the university of Derby's submissions achieved that rating.

Higher Education Funding Council for England

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the objectives are of expenditure under the Higher Education Funding Council for England's equal opportunities budget for 2008-09.

David Lammy: The Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget for equal opportunities covers funding for the Equality Challenge Unit, which supports the work of UK higher education institutions in improving equal opportunities for their staff and students. It carries out research and provides guidance on these issues. The Council has allocated 1,000,000 in the academic year 2008-09 to this budget.

Higher Education Funding Council for England

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the objectives are of expenditure under the Higher Education Funding Council for England's procurement and shared services initiatives budget for 2008-09.

David Lammy: The Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget for procurement and shared services initiatives funds the promotion of effective procurement and increased collaboration with the higher education sector with the aim of improving value for money in the purchasing and delivery of goods and services. It has allocated 1,000,000 in the academic year 2008-09 to this budget.

Higher Education Funding Council for England

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the objectives are of expenditure under the Higher Education Funding Council for England's London budget for 2008-09.

David Lammy: The Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget for London contributes towards the additional costs for higher education institutions of operating in London, including supplementary pensions. It has allocated 11,399,829 in the academic year 2008-09 to this budget.

Higher Education Funding Council for England

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the objectives are of expenditure under the Higher Education Funding Council for England's open learning capital budget for 2008-09.

David Lammy: The Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget for open learning development aims to bring about a profound cultural change concerning academic sharing and development of digital learning content. It is intended to lead to a substantial reduction in duplication of activity resulting in more efficient use of resource. It has allocated 5,000,000 in the academic year 2008-09 to this budget.

Higher Education: Admissions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many UK-domiciled students with a household income of between 50,020 and 60,000 were admitted to an English higher education institution in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many UK-domiciled students with a household income of between 50,020 and 60,000 are studying at an English higher education institution.

David Lammy: Complete information on household incomes of students is not available centrally.
	During November the Student Loans Company will publish the Statistical First Release Student Support for Higher Education in England, Academic Year 2008/09 (provisional). This will include early provisional information on grants in 2008/09 and complete information on grants in academic year 2007/08.

Higher Education: Admissions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of undergraduate students of each social class are studying each course in higher education institutions.

David Lammy: The latest available information (for the 2006/07 academic year) is shown in the table. The figures show proportions of UK-domiciled young (aged under 21) entrants to full-time first degree courses and other undergraduate courses at higher education institutions in the UK, who were from lower socio-economic classes.
	This information is taken from the annual performance indicators in higher education, which are currently published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). HESA also provide this information for each individual HEI (details and figures available at the following link:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/category/2/32/141/
	This is not available for individual socio-economic classes, or for a more detailed breakdown by course type.
	
		
			  UK-domiciled young (under 21) entrants to full-time courses at higher education institutions in the UK: academic year 
			   Percentage of group who are from NS-SECs( 1)  4, 5, 6 and 7 
			 First degree courses 29.8 
			 Other undergraduate courses 42.5 
			 (1 )NS-SEC: National Statistics SocioEconomic Classification  Notes: 1. Figures for 2007/08 will become available in 2009. 2. The proportion of students from low socio-economic classes has been calculated using information on students whose socio-economic class background is known. A significant proportion of students' social backgrounds are unknown.  Source:  Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HEFCE/HESA

Higher Education: Admissions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which higher education institutions missed their maximum allowable student number by more than 2 per cent. in each of the last five recruitment years.

David Lammy: None. Higher education institutions have not been subject to maximum allowable student numbers during the last five recruitment years.

Higher Education: Admissions

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many young people living in Enfield, North constituency attended higher education and university in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008.

David Lammy: The latest available information is shown in the table. Comparable figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in late January 2009 and figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  to undergraduate courses from Enfield, North constituency, UK higher education institutions, academic years 1997/98 and 2006/07 
			  Academic year  Entrants 
			 1997/98(2) 635 
			 2006/07 1,125 
			 (1) Figures cover entrants to full-time and part-time courses.  (2) Figures for 1997/9S exclude the Open university because there are no figures available for entrants to undergraduate courses at the Open university by constituency for this year. In the 2006/07 academic year 85 entrants from Enfield, North constituency went to the Open university.   Notes:  1. Figures are calculated on a snapshot basis as at 1 December to maintain a consistent basis across both years and exclude students on writing up, sabbatical and dormant modes of study.  2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record.

Students: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of eligible students have received the minimum guaranteed bursary for 2008-09.

David Lammy: In 2008/09, higher education students in receipt of the maximum maintenance grant of 2,835 and paying the maximum tuition fee of 3,145 are eligible for a bursary of 310 from their higher education institutions (HEIs); Many HEIs offer more than the minimum bursary and at present almost all of them are charging the maximum tuition fee.
	The information requested is not available centrally because payment of the minimum guaranteed bursary is the responsibility of the HEIs. However, the Student Loans Company, which in some cases administers bursaries on behalf of HEIs, and in some other cases passes relevant information to HEIs for them to administer, has changed its application forms so that applicants give their consent to share their data unless they choose not to. This change should help to increase the number and proportion of eligible students receiving bursaries.

Students: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many eligible  (a) new and  (b) continuing higher education students have yet to receive their maintenance grant for 2008-09.

David Lammy: It is not possible to provide the information requested. The Student Loans Company (SLC) databases only capture the number of applications for maintenance grants which have been received and are being processed. Some of these applications will not be approved because the students are either not eligible for support, or their sponsor's income is too high to be awarded a partial of a full maintenance grant.
	There are four reasons why eligible higher education (HE) students who have been awarded and are entitled to a maintenance grant may be waiting to receive it:
	They are not attending the higher education institution (HEI);
	They are attending the HEI but their application has not been received by the SLC either because students have applied late for Student Finance;
	They are attending an HEI and their application is being processed (either first time through or after a change off circumstance that wilt now make them entitled to a maintenance grant);
	The HEI has not sent their confirmation of attendance to the SLC or the SLC has not yet received the coronation of attendance.
	On current performance, the SLC initiates payment of maintenance grants within one working day of receiving confirmation from the HEI that the student is attending the course. Payments are made through an automated system into bank accounts, which takes three working days from initiation.

Students: Grants

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how much has been spent on maintenance grants for undergraduate students in each year since 2004-05; and how much is expected to be spent in 2008-09;
	(2)  what the average maintenance grant paid to eligible first-year UK-domiciled undergraduate students was in each year since 2004-05; and how much it is expected to be in 2008-09;
	(3)  how many first-year UK-domiciled undergraduate students have been entitled to  (a) the maximum maintenance grant and  (b) a portion of the full maintenance grant in each year since 2004-05; and what the estimated figures are for 2008-09;
	(4)  how many, and what proportion, of first-year UK-domiciled undergraduate students have been entitled to a maintenance grant in each year since 2004-05; and what the estimated figures are for 2008-09.

David Lammy: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Available data are presented in the following list for:
	(1) the Higher Education Grant introduced in 2004-05; and
	(2) its replacement, the Maintenance Grant, introduced in 2006-07,
	
		
			  Table 1: Higher education grants to English students, by academic year( 1) 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( 2) 
			  Students ( T housand) 
			 Full grant 81 157 124 70 
			 Partial grant 19 35 28 16 
			 Nil grant 213 388 326 168 
			 Total(3) 313 580 478 255 
			  
			  Percentage of students 
			 Full grant 26 27 26 28 
			 Partial grant 6 6 6 6 
			 Nil grant 68 67 68 66 
			 Total(3) 100 100 100 100 
			  
			  Expenditure (  million ) 91 168 135 79 
			  
			  Average () 290 290 280 310 
			 (1) Table covers English domiciled student support students in the UK, studying full-time, sandwich and part-time Initial Teacher Training, who entered HE from 2004-05 and prior to academic year 2006-07. Excludes those who do not apply to the SLC for support and excludes those who receive nil support because they are receiving an NHS bursary. (2) 2007-08 figures are provisional. 3 Constituent parts may not add to totals due to rounding.  Source:  Student Loans Company (SLC). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Maintenance grants to English students, by academic year( 1) 
			   2007-07( 2)  2007-08( 3) 
			  Students ( T housand)   
			 Full grant 98 158 
			 Partial grant 68 110 
			 Nil grant 127 217 
			 Total(4) 293 485 
			
			  Percentage of students   
			 Full grant 33 33 
			 Partial grant 23 23 
			 Nil grant 43 45 
			 Total(4) 100 100 
			
			  Expenditure ( million ) 334 576 
			
			  Average () 1,140 1,190 
			 (1) Table covers English domiciled student support students in the UK, studying full-time, sandwich and part-time Initial Teacher Training. Excludes those who do not apply to the SLC for support and excludes those who receive nil support because they are receiving an NHS bursary. Includes the Special Support Grant payable to vulnerable groups of students who may otherwise have their DWP benefits reduced. (2) Final data for 2006-07 became available in November 2007. (3) 2007-08 figures are provisional. (4) Constituent parts may not add to totals due to rounding.  Source:  Student Loans Company (SLC). 
		
	
	Figures cover English domiciled students in the UK, in line with the remit of DIUS. Postgraduate Initial Teacher Training students can receive maintenance grants; therefore figures include such students and are not restricted to undergraduate students. Comparable figures for first year students are not available separately.
	HE grant expenditure declines in 2006-07 asfor new entrantsit was replaced by the maintenance grant in that year. The average maintenance grant is larger than the average HE grant because both the maximum grant amount and the income thresholds are more generous. The number of students eligible for the maintenance grant before means-testing will steadily increase from 2006-07 as each new cohort becomes eligible.
	The Statistical First ReleaseStudent Support for Higher Education in England, Academic Year 2008-09 (Provisional)is due to be published by the Student Loans Company in November 2008. This will provide further information on grants, including complete 2007-08 figures and early provisional 2008-09 figures.
	In 2009-10, low income entrants will receive 2,906 of maintenance grant and 3,497 of maintenance loan. In real terms, the maintenance grant will be over 20 per cent. higher than in 1997-98 and the maintenance loan over 50 per cent. more generous.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he will reply to Question 220185, on staff, tabled on 15 July.

Si�n Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1332W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Infrastructure Fund

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget for the Community Infrastructure Fund for 2008-09 is; and how much her Department has allocated to the Fund in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: holding answer 5 November 2008
	 The total budget for the Community Infrastructure Fund round 1 was 200 million, to be spent in 2006-08. In 2008-09, a number of the round 1 schemes were given one further year to spend a total allocation of 19.7 million.
	The total budget for the Community Infrastructure Fund round 2 is 300 million, to be spent in 2008-11. The amount allocated to this fund in 2008-09 is 17 million.

Council Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to publish the report of the Building Research Establishment's research into levels of maintenance and management in council housing; and what the reason is for the time taken to publish the report.

Iain Wright: As part of the current Review of Council Housing Finance the Department has commissioned two new pieces of work. The first, 'An Evaluation of Management and Maintenance costs in Local Authority Housing', is being carried out by the Housing Quality Network. The second, 'Review of the Major Repairs Allowance', is being carried out by the Building Research Establishment.
	Both these items are work in progress and will be published as part of the review process in due course.

Energy Performance Certificates

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic energy performance certificates have been registered on the central database for properties in each rating band; and what the average  (a) current and  (b) potential energy efficiency rating is for registered properties.

Iain Wright: The rating bands for the number of domestic energy performance certificates for existing dwellings, which have been lodged on the central register as at 31 October 2008, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Rating  Number lodged 
			 A 228 
			 B 50,210 
			 C 315,623 
			 D 526,613 
			 E 352,354 
			 F 117,916 
			 G 33,035 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on the average current and potential energy efficiency rating for registered properties.

Energy Performance Certificates

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the reduced data standard assessment procedure conventions used to produce energy performance certificates take into account each improvement made by householders to the energy efficiency of their home.

Iain Wright: Reduced data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP) conventions will be able to take into account improvements made to a property such as the insulation of walls, roofs and floors, improved glazing, heating systems and controls, provisions for domestic hot water (including solar water heating), photovoltaics and wind turbines.

Home Information Packs

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration she has given to extending the period for which a home information pack report is valid.

Iain Wright: None. The elements of a home information pack (HIP) have no validity period under the regulations as there is no requirement for sellers to update any document in the HIP as long as the property remains on the market.

Home Information Packs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government is taking to ensure that search companies comply with home information pack regulations.

Iain Wright: Local authority weights and measures authorities and the Office of Fair Trading have been given the responsibility for enforcing the home information pack duties through s.166 and s.175 of the Housing Act 2004. They also have powers under other legislation to investigate allegations of any business malpractice.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 452-53W, on housing revenue accounts, if she will revise her forecast for housing subsidy from 2008 to 2023 on the basis of the figures given in the draft Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination 2009-10, published on 28 October 2008; and what support her Department plans to provide for historic debt in each year to 2023.

Iain Wright: No revised forecasts have been made for the period requested on the basis of the 2009-10 draft Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy determination. The figures in the table in my answer of 22 October 2008,  Official  Report, column 353W, were produced as part of the self-financing modelling exercise. We currently have no plans to replicate this exercise.
	We make no distinction between current and historic debt, as the subsidy regime supports all housing debt.

Housing: Construction

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of  (a) houses owned by local authorities,  (b) houses owned by registered social landlords and  (c) houses in private ownership on which construction will commence in 2008-09; and on how many such houses construction began in 2007-08.

Iain Wright: During 2007-08 there were a total 155,880 new build dwelling starts in England. These were broken down by tenure as follows:
	
		
			  Tenure  Number of n ew build dwelling starts 
			 LA 250 
			 RSL 15,750 
			 Private 139,880 
			  Note: Communities and Local Government does not hold forecast information on how many dwellings will be started in 2008-09. Information for 2008-09 will be available in May 2009 through the quarterly house building publication.  Source:  P2 building control returns from local authorities and the National House- Building Council (NHBC)

Housing: Derelict Land

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the extent of brownfield sites available for housing development in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency.

Iain Wright: In 2007, the latest year for which figures are available from the National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land, the London borough of Hillingdon reported having 64 hectares of previously-developed (brown field) land, of which 36 hectares were regarded as suitable for housing.
	Data at constituency level are not held centrally.

Housing: Planning Permission

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what matters  (a) may and  (b) must be taken into account when a planning authority is determining an application to replace a semi-detached house by flats.

Iain Wright: When considering a proposal for the type of development referred to, a local planning authority must determine the application for planning permission in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material considerations, for example, national planning policy, indicate otherwise. National planning policy for housing (PPS3) says that the consideration is whether a site is suitable, based on the demand for housing of certain types and the location to community facilities, jobs, services and infrastructure.

Mortgages: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many mortgage applications for the purchase of property in Suffolk were approved in each of the last 24 months.

Iain Wright: Data on number of mortgage approvals for house purchase are published by the Bank of England. However, data are only available for the UK as a whole.

National Clearing House Programme

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the  (a) locations and  (b) sites are of the properties purchased under the National Clearing House Programme; how many (i) dwellings and (ii) units comprised each property; what the average price per unit was of such purchases; what plans she has for the disposal of the property in each case; what advice she received in determining the price of each property; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many domestic properties have been purchased under her Department's National Clearing House Programme; and in which local authorities;
	(3)  what plans she has to make the National Clearing House available to individual home owners;
	(4)  what the average cost of properties for which her Department has provided funding for purchase through the National Clearing House Programme has been since its inception;
	(5)  how much stamp duty her Department has paid on properties for which it has provided funding for purchase through the National Clearing House Programme.

Iain Wright: In May, the Government announced a plan to take advantage of market opportunities to bring private sector developer stock into the affordable housing sector by providing 200 million of funding through the Housing Corporation's national affordable housing programme (AHP) for the purchase of homes from house builders.
	To help facilitate this, the Housing Corporation set up the National Clearing House to streamline initial assessment of national packages of at least 250 units from private sector house builders. Housing Corporation investment partners, mainly registered social landlords, wishing to buy smaller numbers of units from developers could bid for funding directly to the Corporation in the normal way. There are currently no plans to open up the Housing Corporation's AHP to individual home owners.
	The average grant and total scheme cost per unit of all developer stock that has been purchased with funding through the AHP since May is set out in the following table. This includes both those schemes that were assessed through the National Clearing House and the smaller schemes that were assessed through the Housing Corporation.
	
		
			  Product  Units  Average grant per unit ()  Total average cost per unit () 
			 Low cost home ownership 630 13,327 137,677 
			 Social rent 1,531 41,631 120,920 
			 Total 2,161 33,379 125,805 
			  Source: Housing Corporation 
		
	
	Developer stock units are purchased by AHP investment partners for the provision of either social rent or for sale on low cost home ownership terms. Funding is a mix of grant from the Housing Corporation and from the investment partners' own resources.
	Bids are assessed on four main criteria: fit with local, regional and national strategic priorities, design and quality, deliverability and value for money.
	The distribution of units purchased, and the average amount of grant allocated by the Corporation for the purchase, by local authority area is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Social rent  Low cost home ownership 
			  Local authority  Units  Grant per unit ()  Units  Grant per unit () 
			 Allerdale 3 0 0 0 
			 Ashfield 34 31,324 0 0 
			 Aylesbury Vale 30 49,000 0 0 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 0 35 13,000 
			 Barnsley 35 46,500 0 0 
			 Basildon 17 41,000 0 0 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 7 87,857 0 0 
			 Bassetlaw 8 20,000 0 0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 5 0 0 0 
			 Bexley 13 63,805 0 0 
			 Birmingham 84 48,836 92 15,454 
			 Blaby 6 43,167 4 21,000 
			 Bolsover 10 46,000 2 22,000 
			 Bolton 7 9,857 0 0 
			 Bristol 64 47,453 3 0 
			 Broadland 6 52,750 4 29,125 
			 Bromsgrove 9 35,000 16 17,813 
			 Broxtowe 8 33,000 0 0 
			 Calderdale 7 45,643 0 0 
			 Caradon 21 70,000 8 21,000 
			 Carrick 3 56,500 0 0 
			 Chester 24 0 56 22,000 
			 Colchester 10 74,800 0 0 
			 Copeland 1 0 0 0 
			 Craven 4 33,250 0 0 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 24 47,000 0 0 
			 Croydon 6 175,667 0 0 
			 Derwentside 7 55,000 0 0 
			 Dudley 5 0 5 0 
			 Durham 4 55,000 0 0 
			 East Dorset 0 0 14 25,000 
			 East Lindsey 18 54,667 11 25,636 
			 Epping Forest 0 0 5 17,500 
			 Erewash 24 39,995 0 0 
			 Fareham 14 49,000 5 18,000 
			 Fenland 6 36,500 0 0 
			 Forest Heath 8 75,000 2 20,000 
			 Gloucester 8 67,000 0 0 
			 Halton 14 50,000 5 24,000 
			 Harrogate 5 14,500 0 0 
			 Havant 3 72,000 3 18,000 
			 Herefordshire 0 0 1 20,000 
			 Huntingdon 2 18,000 0 0 
			 Kennet 6 24,167 0 0 
			 Kerrier 8 54,000 4 25,000 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 4 48,750 0 0 
			 Kirklees 11 40,000 0 0 
			 Leeds 20 46,500 4 20,000 
			 Leicester 21 43,048 16 7,250 
			 Lewes 0 0 9 22,000 
			 Lewisham 3 0 0 0 
			 Luton 0 0 9 25,000 
			 Macclesfield 27 32,500 0 0 
			 Maidstone 21 50,000 39 15,026 
			 Mansfield 2 48,125 0 0 
			 Melton 4 64,750 0 0 
			 Mendip 13 0 2 0 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 17 35,882 17 15,294 
			 Mid Sussex 0 0 3 0 
			 Middlesbrough 6 10,000 0 0 
			 Milton Keynes 27 47,500 0 0 
			 New Forest 6 55,000 0 0 
			 Newark 8 44,000 0 0 
			 Newcastle under Lyme 52 34,168 15 1,800 
			 North Kesteven 9 43,000 4 20,000 
			 North Lincolnshire 8 0 0 0 
			 North Norfolk 0 0 5 15,200 
			 North Shropshire 30 25,010 6 15,000 
			 North Somerset 43 42,837 7 0 
			 North Tyneside 13 55,200 0 0 
			 North West Leicestershire 14 43,000 0 0 
			 Northampton 24 41,667 0 0 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 72 49,097 0 0 
			 Oldham 0 0 3 0 
			 Plymouth 13 55,000 7 7,429 
			 Restormel 16 0 17 0 
			 Rochdale 5 58,000 0 0 
			 Salisbury 6 35,000 0 0 
			 Sandwell 0 0 14 19,000 
			 Sedgemoor 9 0 0 0 
			 Sheffield 0 0 2 30,000 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 32 14,074 0 0 
			 South Cambridgeshire 0 0 9 0 
			 South Derbyshire 18 36,500 0 0 
			 South Gloucestershire 9 0 6 0 
			 South Hams 2 0 0 0 
			 South Kesteven 41 49,937 13 19,871 
			 South Norfolk 14 70,887 0 0 
			 South Ribble 19 47,632 0 0 
			 South Staffordshire 0 0 51 3,342 
			 Southampton 0 0 4 20,000 
			 Southwark 4 125,000 0 0 
			 Stafford 4 26,129 0 0 
			 Staffordshire Moorland 0 0 1 20,000 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 5 49,500 0 0 
			 Stroud 6 43,000 0 0 
			 Tameside 21 56,600 0 0 
			 Taunton Deane 5 40,000 0 0 
			 Teignbridge 15 44,400 0 0 
			 The Wrekin 18 30,076 0 0 
			 Torbay 14 58,286 0 0 
			 Torridge 40 61,621 12 24,667 
			 Uttlesford 15 35,000 0 0 
			 Vale of White Horse 7 55,000 5 18,800 
			 Walsall 30 39,800 26 0 
			 Waltham Forest 3 63,583 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 4 75,000 0 0 
			 Waveney 0 0 7 18,000 
			 Wellingborough 7 47,000 0 0 
			 West Berkshire 0 0 2 19,000 
			 West Devon 17 47,294 3 20,000 
			 West Somerset 2 20,000 0 0 
			 West Wiltshire 23 0 6 0 
			 Weymouth and Portland 0 0 14 7,143 
			 Wigan 6 56,500 3 22,500 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 10 0 0 0 
			 Wirral 8 35,000 0 0 
			 Wolverhampton 6 50,000 1 20,000 
			 Worcester City 7 49,000 0 0 
			 Wychavon 36 22,292 13 0 
			 Total 1,531 41,631 630 13,327 
			  Source: Housing Corporation 
		
	
	Neither this Department nor the Housing Corporation purchase properties and therefore do not pay stamp duty on the purchases of these homes. Registered social landlords who purchase these properties with grant via the Housing Corporation are not liable to pay stamp duty.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers she has to prescribe the rateable values of premises in docks and harbours; under what legislation these powers are exercised; and how she has used her powers in this regard in the last 12 months.

John Healey: The power to prescribe the rateable value of premises in docks and harbours is in paragraph 3 of schedule 6 to the Local Government Finance Act 1988. Currently, no such rules are prescribed and all properties are subject to assessment on the same basis as all other non-domestic properties; that is, on the basis of their market rent, in accordance with paragraph 2 of schedule 6.

Planning: Enforcement

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to collect information on the number of planning enforcement officers employed by each local authority.

Iain Wright: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The Department has no plans to do so, as this goes against our policy of reducing the burdens on local authorities through the collection of data. The number of staff employed by local authorities on any function is a matter for them, taking account of local priorities.

Planning: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which councils are trialling planning performance agreements; and what funding has been provided by her Department to such trials.

Iain Wright: Planning Performance Agreements are no longer being trialled. Following a pilot programme guidance on PPAs was published on 6 April 2008 which advocated their use by all local authorities where appropriate. The funding of PPAs is down to local authorities who can either charge a fee to developers or fund them from their own resources. The Advisory Team for Large Applications, a CLG-funded body hosted within English Partnerships offer a free inception day for PPAs.
	The pilot programme of PPAs was run by the Planning Advisory Service and involved 22 local authorities at a total cost of 60,000 over the years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Regional Ministers: Official Visits

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what official visits each Regional Minister has made since appointment; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such visit.

Hazel Blears: A table providing the information requested has been deposited in the Library.
	The table refers to visits undertaken by Regional Ministers currently in post and does not include details of visits made by predecessors.

Regional Planning and Development

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects her Department is delivering through the regional development agencies; and what budgets have been set for these projects in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11,  (c) 2011-12 and  (d) 2012-13.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 345-46W.
	Total single programme allocations for the current spending review period are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   
			   Total  single programme allocation 
			  Regional Development Agency  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Advantage West Midlands 300,638,000 269,209,000 230,454,000 
			 East of England Development Agency 133,401,000 127,330,000 110,749,000 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 163,000,000 154,144,000 132,674,000 
			 London Development Agency 344,672,000 376,021,000 322,932,000 
			 North West Development Agency 385,008,000 377,786,000 323,440,000 
			 One North East 245,500,000 238,879,000 203,809,000 
			 South East England Development Agency 157,811,000 154,323,000 134,591,000 
			 South West Development Agency 163,008,000 151,596,000 131,321,000 
			 Yorkshire Forward 299,462,000 292,348,000 250,292,000 
			 Total 2,192,500,000 2,141,636,000 1,840,262,000 
			  Note: Allocations for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are yet to be made.

Social Rented Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps she has taken to ensure funding to successor registered social landlords when large scale voluntary transfers have been proposed; what rate of interest is payable in respect of each of the current proposals for such transfers; and for what period funding has been made available in each case;
	(2)  if she will review all business plans for large-scale voluntary housing transfers prepared by councils before they are put to tenants to ensure that they are achievable with current  (a) economic conditions and  (b) interest rate levels.

Iain Wright: The Department reviews and agrees housing stock valuations prepared by local authorities before tenants are balloted on a housing transfer proposal. These valuations include assumptions about the cost of borrowing in the light of economic conditions. RSL business plans are reviewed by the Department when there is a gap funding requirement to supplement privately raised finance to deliver a Decent Homes investment programme after transfer.
	Interest rates payable and terms applied on loan facilities are negotiated by RSLs as part of a competitive and confidential process in the period between tenant consultation (after a positive ballot) and transfer completion. It is only then that the interest rates and funding terms are finalised between an RSL and its chosen funder.
	There are currently no large scale voluntary transfer proposals that have agreed funding terms and have yet to complete a transfer transaction.

JUSTICE

Constituencies: Statistics

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what groupings of parliamentary constituencies are permitted for statistical purposes in  (a) England,  (b) Northern Ireland,  (c) Scotland and  (d) Wales.

Michael Wills: The Parliamentary Boundary Commissions do not group constituencies, but they may group local authority areas to help them construct constituencies according to the rules for the redistribution of seats contained in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986. These rules require, in England and Wales, that parliamentary constituency boundaries do not cross county or London borough boundaries; in Scotland that regard must be had to local authority area boundaries; and in Northern Ireland that ward boundaries are not crossed. The rules also allow the Commissions in each country to depart from a strict application of this rule if they consider it appropriate to avoid excessive electoral disparity between constituencies and enable them to observe a further rule requiring constituencies to be about the same size. The decision whether to group areas and what particular groupings to apply, however, rests entirely with the relevant Commission.

Debts

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to review the eligibility criteria by which indebted individuals can apply for a debt enforcement restriction order; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The enforcement restriction order (ERO) is set out in Chapter 2 of Part 5 of the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. It is currently expected that it will be introduced in 2010. It was developed following extensive consultation with the advice and credit sectors. It is intended specifically to support only those debtors who encounter unforeseen short-term difficulties from which they are likely to recover in a relatively short period. Other options, such as the reformed Administration Order (AO), which is contained in Chapter 1 of Part 5 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 exist for those with more long-term problems. There are no plans to review the underpinning eligibility criteria at this time.
	However, earlier this year Her Majesty's Court Service consulted on certain aspects of the administration and enforcement restriction order schemes, including the types of debts that should be able to be protected. The response to the consultation paper, 'Administration and Enforcement Restriction Orders: Setting the Parameters', will be issued shortly.

Departmental Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many civil servants in his Department were seconded to work for  (a) trades unions and  (b) the Trades Union Congress in each year since its inception.

Michael Wills: Since the creation of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007, three civil servants have been seconded to one of our recognised trade unions (Public Commercial Services union, commonly known as PCS). No civil servants have been seconded to the Trades Union Congress.

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many motorists in  (a) Leicester and  (b) Leicestershire have been prosecuted in each of the last three years for using mobile telephones whilst driving.

Maria Eagle: Available information on prosecutions in 2004 to 2006 (latest available) taken from the court proceedings database held by my Department, is provided in the following table. 2007 data should be available at the end of November this year. Data are available at police force area level only.
	The majority of use of handheld mobile phone while driving offences are dealt with by the offer of a fixed penalty. The table does not include fixed penalty notices but does include cases where fixed penalty notices were issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
	
		
			  Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1,2) , within the Leicestershire police force area, 2004-06 
			   Number of offences 
			 2004 12 
			 2005 28 
			 2006 26 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3). (2) Includes cases where a fixed penalty notice was issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court. (3) It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Electoral Register

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to issue guidance on adding new electors to electoral registers under rolling registration rather than re-publishing registers in full;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 711-12W, on elections: fraud, what consideration he has given to introducing individual voter registration in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: Under existing legislation, rolling registration exists alongside the household registration system in Great Britain as a means of allowing individuals to register to vote. The current law requires Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to conduct an annual canvass and publish a revised register by 1 December each year. The Government have no plans to issue guidance on the use of rolling registration to update registers. Responsibility for issuing guidance to EROs on electoral registration matters lies with the Electoral Commission.
	The Government have been clear that they are committed to the principle of individual registration. However, this would be a far-reaching reform, and it would need to be undertaken with great careboth to ensure that a new system is robust, and to ensure that it properly tackles the problem of under-registration. The Government's approach to electoral registration is clear: we want to protect the rights of every eligible person to participate in the United Kingdom's democratic process by ensuring complete, accurate and secure electoral registration.

Fireworks: Injuries

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were  (a) charged and  (b) convicted of the offence of grievous bodily harm where an injury was caused by a firework in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many retailers have been convicted for offences of selling fireworks to minors in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: It is not possible to distinguish offences of grievous bodily harm where an injury was caused by a firework from other offences of grievous bodily harm. Details surrounding a case are not held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	The offence supplying a firework, fireworks, a firework assembly or firework assemblies to a person under 18 years under section 6(1) of the Fireworks Safety (Regulations) 1997 Act, cannot be separately identified by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, as the offence forms part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be analysed.

Insolvency: Property

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effectiveness of legislation allowing unsecured creditors to obtain a legal charge over a property; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: A charging order, under the Charging Orders Act 1979, is a means of securing a judgment debt by placing a charge onto the debtor's immovable property, particularly a house or land, although it can also be used against shares. A charging order also allows a judgment creditor to apply subsequently to the court for an order for sale. Charging orders therefore provide a means by which a judgment creditor can gain access to any equity a debtor holds in property.
	Charging orders are one of a number of enforcement methods available and the securing of a charging order does not prevent the creditor from exercising other methods of enforcement.
	The Second Phase of the Civil Enforcement Review identified no significant means by which the charging order procedure should be changed, as published in the White Paper Effective Enforcement.
	Research indicates that charging orders are used most often as a form of long-term security for a judgment debt. In the overwhelming majority of instances, once the security of a charging order has been obtained, creditors are more likely to accept long-term time to pay agreements to clear the judgment debt, knowing that their position is secure.
	The Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (TCE Act) made a number of changes to the charging order regime. These changes will allow a judgment creditor to apply for a charging order even where a debtor is up to date with an instalment arrangement. The Act will also introduce new minimum thresholds below which it will not be possible to apply for a charging order or an order for sale.
	The Government have not yet implemented provisions of the TCE Act relating to charging orders, and we are keeping this under review.

Judicial Pension Scheme

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the value of the liabilities of the  (a) old and  (b) new judicial pension scheme was at the latest date for which information is available.

Jack Straw: The total value of the liability of the judicial pension schemes (including the 1981 schemes and the 1993 scheme) as estimated by the Government Actuary is included in the published resource accounts. Copies of the accounts are held in the House of Commons Library. As at 31 March 2007 the figure was 1,627 million.

Police: Personation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) found guilty of the offence of impersonating a police officer in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Police Act 1996 s.90 (1), (2), (3) in England and Wales, 1997 to 2006 can be viewed in the following table.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  N umber of parsons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Police Act 1996 s.90(l),(2),(3) in England and Wales, 1997 to 2006( 1,2,3,4) 
			   Police Act 1996 s.90(1)  Police Act 1996 s.90(2)  Police Act 1996 s.90(3) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 1997 56 33 4 2 4 4 
			 1998 43 26 5 4 2 1 
			 1999 45 26 2 1 2 1 
			 2000 34 22 1 0 6 3 
			 2001 38 23 1 1 5 4 
			 2002 32 16 3 2 6 4 
			 2003 38 23 3 1 4 2 
			 2004 36 21 1 0 6 2 
			 2005 33 21 0 0 4 2 
			 2006 34 22 3 2 3 3 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions: Police Act 1996 s.90(l), 90(2), 90(3) Impersonate a police officer Person not being a constable wearing any article of police uniform with intent to deceive Person not being a member of police force or special constable having in possession any article of police uniform gained unlawfully (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice ReformEvidence and Analysis Unit

Prison Sentences

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  in respect of which offence most indeterminate sentences for public protection have been handed down since their introduction;
	(2)  how many prisoners are serving indeterminate sentences for public protection;
	(3)  how many indeterminate sentences for public protection have been issued in each year since their introduction;
	(4)  what percentage of those serving indeterminate sentences for public protection are  (a) men,  (b) women and  (c) aged under 25.

David Hanson: On 30 September 2008 the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPP) database indicated that the most common offence for IPP was robbery, with 27 per cent. of the current IPP prisoners in England and Wales serving a sentence for robbery.
	On 3 November 2008, there were 4,863 IPP prisoners. Of these:
	432 of those sentences were imposed in 2005;
	1,582 of those sentences were imposed in 2006;
	1,754 of those sentences were imposed in 2007; and
	1,095 of those sentences were imposed in 2008.
	This does not account for IPPs who have been released in this period.
	From the current population of 4,863 IPPs prisoners, represented as a percentage, the requested categories are:
	 (a) men97.25 per cent.
	 (b) women2.75 per cent.
	 (c) under 2530.39 per cent.
	Most of the material contained in the NOMS IPP sentence database has been migrated from other file and IT sources. Measures are constantly taken to quality assure the information, but as with any large scale recording system with multiple users, the system remains subject to possible inaccuracies. The NOMS IPP database captures data linked to serving IPP population, and is updated on a bi-monthly basis, therefore is not a 'real time' record.

Prison Sentences

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average period is between the end of the tariff of an indeterminate sentence for public protection and the release of the prisoner on licence.

David Hanson: As of 5 November 2008, 38 IPP prisoners have been released on licence. The average period between the end of tariff and release was 49 weeks.

Prison Sentences

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those serving indeterminate sentences for public protection have lodged complaints about the requirements for completion of the programmes necessary for them to be considered for release on licence.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is collated neither nationally nor locally, and to provide the information requested would require manual checking of individual records which could be carried out only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners Release

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the prisoners to be released by the end of 2009 under the end of custody licence scheme are estimated to be violent offenders.

David Hanson: We have said that the End of Custody Licence (ECL) scheme will be phased out as soon as there is sufficient prison capacity to do so. However, if the scheme were to continue to the end of 2009 and there were no changes to the numbers of prisoners received, the eligibility criteria or the average number of monthly releases, we would expect around 14,800 prisoners, whose original offence was violence against the person, to be released, between the start of the scheme in June 2007 and the end of 2009.
	Prisoners serving sentences for the most serious offences of violence are excluded from ECL. A full list of exclusions can be found in Prison Service Instruction 42/2007, a copy of which is in the House Libraries and may be found at the following web address:
	http://psi.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/PSI_2007_42_end_of _custody_licence.doc
	Information on numbers released under the scheme by category is published monthly in the statistics bulletin End of Custody Licence releases and recalls, available from the Library of the House and the Ministry of Justice website at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Religion: Discrimination

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 750W, on religion: discrimination, whether the Government plan to produce a consultation document on the law of succession.

Jack Straw: The Government have no current plans to produce a consultation on the law of succession in respect of the monarchy.
	To bring about changes to the law on succession would be a complex undertaking involving amendment or repeal of a number of items of related legislation, as well as requiring the consent of legislatures of member nations of the Commonwealth. We are prepared to consider the arguments in this complex area but have no immediate plans to legislate.

Reoffenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the alleged further offences committed by offenders on end of custody licences since June 2007 were  (a) of rape,  (b) of sexual assault and  (c) of other sexual offences.

Jack Straw: Between 29 June 2007 and 30 September 2008 39,406 prisoners were released under the End of Custody Licence scheme (ECL). As at 3 November 2008, the National Offender Management Service had been notified of five offenders who had allegedly committed seven sexual offences during their period on ECL. Of the five offenders, three were subsequently not convicted of a sexual offence. The alleged offences were: rapetwo; sexual assaultone; other sexual offencesfour.

Reoffenders: Young People

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders aged under 21 years reoffended within six months of release from custody within each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: We do not have figures on reoffending occurring within six months of leaving custody. On an annual basis, we publish rates which measure reoffending over a 12-month period.
	The following table shows the reoffending figures for offenders aged between 13 and 17 who were released from custody in the first quarter of 2004, 2005 and 2006. Table 1 shows the proportion of offenders that committed at least one further offence and the number of further offences committed per 100 offenders. Please note that offenders aged between 13 and 17 are treated as juveniles, and therefore any offences which are proven by conviction or caution are counted as a reoffence.
	The figures include offenders released from youth offenders institutions, secure training centres and secure children's homes.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			 One year 
			  Age( 1)   Number of releases from custody  Rate of reoffending (Percentage)  Number of offences per 100 offenders 
			 13(2) 2004 20 95.0 740.0 
			  2005 18 100.0 588.9 
			  2006 19 79.0 531.6 
			 14(2) 2004 47 83.0 363.8 
			  2005 53 75.6 447.2 
			  2006 46 95.7 500.0 
			 15 2004 140 77.1 457.9 
			  2005 118 80.5 465.3 
			  2006 131 78.6 432.8 
			 16 2004 244 77.1 401.6 
			  2005 275 70.2 424.7 
			  2006 262 79.4 433.2 
			 17 2004 362 73.8 397.0 
			  2005 374 71.7 370.3 
			  2006 355 71.8 349.0 
			 (1) The figures relating to juveniles aged 10 to 12 have been removed as the extremely low numbers (fewer than 10 offenders) make the data unreliable for interpretation. (2) Greater than 10 and less than 50 offenders, treat the data with caution. 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the same information for offenders aged between 18 and 20. Please not that offenders aged 18 or over are treated as adults, and therefore only offences with result in a conviction at court are counted as a reoffence. These data are therefore not directly comparable with the data for juveniles.
	
		
			  Table  2 
			 One year 
			  Age   Number of offenders  releases from custody  Rate of reoffending (Percentage)  Number of offences per  100 offender 
			 18 2004 559 63.3 355.5 
			  2005 551 68.4 336.8 
			  2006 477 58.9 271.9 
			 19 2004 783 58.1 295.3 
			  2005 689 57.0 278.5 
			  2006 644 57.1 270.7 
			 20 2004 789 60.0 289,7 
			  2005 738 52.0 238.5 
			  2006 695 50.8 219.7 
		
	
	The latest reoffending statistics for juveniles, Reoffending of juveniles: results from the 2006 cohort, were published on 4 September 2008 and can be obtained from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffending juveniles.htm
	The latest reoffending statistics for adults, Reoffending of adults: results from the 2006 cohort, were published on the same date and can be obtained from:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingo fadults.htm

Young Offender Institutions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 229W, on young offender institutions, how much of the 32,799 figure was spent on  (a) educational opportunities,  (b) sport opportunities and  (c) drug programmes on average.

David Hanson: The average cost was of providing a place in a young offenders institution in the latest years for which figures are available (2001-08) was 32,799 and is split as follows:
	
		
			
			  (a) Education 1,190 
			  (b) Sport 845 
			  (c) Drug programmes 2,680

Young Offender Institutions: Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether every young offender institution provides drug treatment for those who are sentenced and who seek such treatment.

David Hanson: All young offender institutions (YOIs(1)) provide a comprehensive drug treatment framework, based on the National Treatment Agency's revised Models of Care, to address the different needs of drug-misusers. The interventions available are designed to meet the needs of low, moderate and severe drug misusersirrespective of age, gender or ethnicity.
	Interventions include:
	clinical services (detoxification and/or maintenance prescribing)available in all YOIs in England and Wales;
	Counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare services (CARATs)available in all YOIs in England and Wales;
	drug rehabilitation programmes:
	The Short Duration Programme is available in six YOIs
	P-ASRO (prisons addressing substance-related offending)available in seven YOIs;
	Young People's Substance Misuse Servicea non-clinical service for those under the age of 18 in custody in England and Wales, combining education and prevention with treatment.
	(1) The National Offender Management Service categorises establishments by their main role only. Establishments that have more than one role are placed in the category that represents the primary or dominant function of the prison. Some young offendersincluding all young female prisonersare held in separate young offender units in adult establishments. These offenders may have access to other drug rehabilitation programmes e.g. therapeutic communities in HMP Drake Hall.

Young Offender Institutions: Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders left young offender institutions drug free in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The percentage of young offenders leaving prison drug free is not recorded.
	The best measure of drug misuse in prison is the random Mandatory Drug Testing (rMDT) programme. In young offender institutions(1) the Random MDT positive rate has dropped 82 per cent. from 17.1 per cent. in 1996-97 to 3.0 per cent. in 2007-08.
	(1) NOMS categorises establishments by their main role only. Establishments that have more than one role are placed in the category that represents the primary or dominant function of the prison.

Young Offenders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons  (a) between 16 and 18 and  (b) between 18 and 21 years old are serving custodial sentences of (i) 12 weeks or less and (ii) 24 weeks or less.

David Hanson: The following table gives the numbers of 16 to 17-year-olds and young adults serving sentences of three months or less and between three and six months as at the end of September 2008, the latest date for which the information is available, for all prison establishments in England and Wales.
	
		
			   Three months or less( 1)  Greater than three and less than or equal to six months( 1) 
			 16 to 17-year-olds 48 338 
			 Young adults(2) 349 551 
			 (1) This includes recalls, some of which have their sentence length overwritten with the length of recall. (2) Young adults are those aged 18-20 and those 21 year olds who were aged 20 or under at conviction who have not been reclassified as part of the adult population. 
		
	
	The figures do not include juveniles held in Secure Training Centres or Secure Children's Homes.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government has to review its  (a) strategy and  (b) goals in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government's Afghanistan Strategy, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 12 December 2007, remains under constant review to ensure it reflects the realities of the situation on the ground. The Prime Minster and the Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, International Development, and Defence are kept regularly informed of progress in implementing strategy. There is also a formal review mechanism, which allows for a more detailed periodic assessment. The next detailed assessment is due before the end of this year.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests have been received from the United States administration for UK officials to contribute to the US review of its strategy and operations in Afghanistan; what approaches the Government has made to the US administration to offer a contribution to the review; which UK officials are involved in the review; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: As a key ally of the United States, the UK has been asked to provide assistance to a US led review of American defence and security policy regarding engagement in the greater middle east and central Asian area. Consequently, the Ministry Of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development have provided a combined team to contribute to this work. This team will provide expertise across a wide subject range and be fully embedded within the review process. The UK team consists of 17 people. They will be supported by a number of civil service, military and academic personnel who will remain in the UK.

Burma: Dams

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the construction of the Tamanthi dam in Burma; how many of these were in favour of construction; how many opposed construction on environmental grounds; and what representations he has made to the government of Burma as a result of such representations.

Bill Rammell: We have received no representations regarding the construction of the Tamanthi dam. We are, however, concerned by reports that the project is having a serious impact on local Kukis villagers, forcing people from their ancestral villages. We condemn all forced relocations and call for all displaced peoples to be provided with adequate humanitarian assistance. We will continue to monitor the dam's development.
	The Tamanthi dam project has been co-developed with several countries' input. We press Burma's neighbours at all levels to use their links with the regime to encourage a peaceful transition to democracy.

Cameroon: Asylum

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he or his predecessor last discussed the issue of Cameroonian citizens seeking asylum in the UK with his Cameroonian counterpart.

Gillian Merron: Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor his predecessor discussed the issue of Cameroonian citizens seeking asylum in the UK with the Cameroonian Foreign Minister. The last meeting between Foreign Office Ministers and representatives from Cameroon was on 3 July, when my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown met Prime Minister Inoni. Asylum was not discussed.

China

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's staff based in China work on UK trade promotion.

Bill Rammell: There are the equivalent of 71.34 full-time staff working on trade promotion at the British embassy in Beijing and the three consulates-general in mainland China. These include staff from the UK and China.

China: Human Rights

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's staff based in China work on human rights issues.

Bill Rammell: One diplomat and the equivalent of 1.5 locally employed staff work full-time on human rights issues at our embassy in Beijing. The ambassador, deputy head of mission, political counsellor and first secretary (internal) also make representations to the Chinese authorities on human rights issues. In addition, a number of staff based in our three consulates-general in mainland China, including the consuls-general themselves, also undertake work relevant to our governance agenda in China, and when needed raise human rights issues with the local authorities.

Colombia: Politics and Government

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what questions the Government plans to ask the Colombian government during Colombia's Universal Periodic Review at the UN in December; and what criteria the Government will use to assess the accuracy of the Colombian government's responses.

Gillian Merron: The Government's questions for Colombia's Universal Periodic Review session have yet to be finalised, but will reflect our main human rights concerns in Colombia. The areas that we are likely to address include the work of and risks faced by human rights defenders and civil society organisations, and concerns about impunity in Colombia, internal displacement and the activities of illegal armed groups. These themes have been identified in consultation with civil society organisations.
	Colombia's responses will be considered alongside the reporting and analysis of our embassy in Bogota, reports and views of Colombian and international civil society organisations, and reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Commonwealth: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to improve the political and economic stability of Commonwealth countries.

Gillian Merron: The UK contributes extensive support to Commonwealth countries, to promote economic growth and political stability. The estimated total of UK bilateral and multilateral aid, including debt relief, to Commonwealth countries was 2.5 billion in financial year 2006-07.
	The UK is also the largest contributor to the Commonwealth institutions, providing 30 per cent. of all funding. The Commonwealth Secretariat uses this funding to support governance, human rights, democracy, and economic programmes across the membership. And the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group deals with persistent and serious violations of the Harare Declaration, which lays down the Commonwealth's fundamental democratic values.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific reinforcements have been made by the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) has not been reinforced externally. The mission has re-deployed existing resources within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to tackle the current crisis in North Kivu. These include the redeployment of an additional battalion and two additional attack helicopters. MONUC has increased its overall troop strength in Goma from 850 to 1,500. The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations and MONUC are examining further potential reinforcements from other areas of operations within the DRC. The UK supports this reorganisation of MONUC's resources and we will work through the UN Security Council to ensure the mission's resources are deployed as effectively as possible.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Peacekeeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the length of time needed to identify and deploy additional resources for the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The UN Secretary General wrote to Security Council member states on 31 October and will further report to the Security Council with recommendations on the additional resources required by the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) in mid November. These resource requests are not in immediate response to the current crisis. The Security Council will examine these recommendations and make a decision on the resources needed by MONUC. Should additional resources be approved, it will be the responsibility of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations to ensure they are quickly identified and deployed. The length of time that would be needed for this would be subject to the availability of peacekeeping resources, and the willingness of troop and police-contributing countries to make commitments to the mission.

Departmental Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people aged over  (a) 55 and  (b) 60 years were recruited by his Department in 2007-08; and what percentage in each case this was of the number of new recruits.

Gillian Merron: The following figures indicate how many people aged over 55 and 60 years were recruited by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2007-08 and what percentage in each case this was of the number of new recruits.
	
		
			   Numbers recruited 
			 Total recruited (all ages) 340 
			 Over 55 7 
			 Percentage of new recruits 2.06 
			 Over 60 32 
			 Percentage of new recruits 9.41

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which companies were used by his Department for providing temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years.

Gillian Merron: In hiring temporary staff, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) directorates may choose employment agencies from a list of companies provided by the FCO's Human Resources Directorate. These are Eclipse, Manpower, Select and Kelly Services. However, directorates may choose another company if there are valid economic or other reasons for doing so.
	The FCO does not maintain central records of the value of contracts between directorates and individual companies. These figures cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost. Figures for total expenditure on agency staff since 2003 are available and are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year   
			 2007-08 4,019,743 
			 2006-07 5,936,294 
			 2005-06 3,663,441 
			 2004-05 3,165,397 
			 2003-04 2,357,123 
			  Note:  FCOS expenditure is included in all of the above figures.

European Union: Civil Servants

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants for whom he has responsibility represent the interests of  (a) Wales,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Northern Ireland at the European Union; what the costs were of each office in which such staff were employed in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) staff, (ii) office rental and (iii) other costs.

Gillian Merron: The civil servants who represent Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland at the EU are part of the devolved Administrations' representation to the EU. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs does not have direct responsibility for any civil servants who represent Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office therefore does not hold information about the costs of the offices.

Iran: Capital Punishment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the Iranian judiciary's decision to abolish the death penalty for juvenile offenders, save for those accused of murder; what recent representations he has made to the Iranian authorities on the subject; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We received reports that, on 16 October, Iran's Deputy Prosecutor-General for Judicial Affairs announced that a directive had been issued to all judicial officials stating that people convicted of crimes which took place when they were under the age of 18 would not be executed and would instead be given alternative sentences, regardless of their offence. However, on 18 October he clarified that this only applied to non-sharia crimes, and that sharia crimes such as murder were not included.
	Despite its international human rights commitments, Iran remains the world's number one executioner of children. While we welcome any small step towards the abolition of this abhorrent practice in the country, all six juveniles executed so far this year had been sentenced for sharia crimes, making the impact of the directive limited. Additionally, similar non-binding directives or declared moratoria by the Iranian judiciary have had limited impact and have not subsequently been adopted into law. International human rights organisations expressed concerns that the statement intended to deliberately mislead Iranian and international public opinion.
	The UK Government's principled opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances is well known, and the execution of juvenile offenders is considered to be against all human rights standards. We will, therefore, continue to urge the Iranian Government to end the execution of juveniles once and for all in both law and practice. This year alone we, and the EU, have raised this subject and made representations in individual cases of juveniles facing execution at least twenty-two times in meetings with the Iranian authorities and through public statements. Senior Foreign Office officials did so most recently during the visit of Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister in September.

Iraq: Christianity

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what reports he has received on the number of Christians in Mosul who have fled as a result of attacks since September 2008; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what reports he has received on the number of Christian churches in Mosul which have been attacked since September 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration has reported that 1,424 Christian families have been displaced from Mosul since September 2008. There are recent media reports that a small number of these families are now returning to their homes following intervention by the Iraqi Security Forces. We have no authoritative figures on the number of churches which have been attacked.
	We welcome the swift action taken by the Iraqi Government to ensure security in Mosul following the recent attacks by extremist groups against Christians and other minorities. We welcome too the condemnation of these attacks by Iraq's religious and political leaders. These cowardly acts underline, once again, how little the extremists have to offer the Iraqi people.

Iraq: Weapons

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the countries that gave the UK Government information relating to the UK Government's claim in the September 2002 Dossier that Iraq attempted to purchase uranium from Africa complied with the request in UN Resolution 1441 to pass the same information to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Bill Rammell: In the case of the intelligence that Iraq attempted to purchase uranium from Africa, the Government asked the originators of the intelligence to discuss the issue with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and we understand that they did this.

Jack McConnell

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of the post to which Jack McConnell has been appointed; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has asked Jack McConnell MSP to become his Special Representative for Conflict Resolution Mechanisms. Mr. McConnell will be based in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), working with the FCO, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence. His travel and other out-of-pocket expenses will be able covered by the Departments concerned.

Kazakhstan: Religious Freedom

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of draft amendments to Kazakhstan legislation relating to freedom of religion and belief under discussion in the Kazakhstan Senate; and if he will urge the government of Kazakhstan to implement the relevant recommendations of the OSCE Advisory Council of Experts on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

Caroline Flint: We have made clear to the Kazakhstani authorities our concerns about the draft law, and our view that they should take on board the recommendations of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) experts. In April, our ambassador called on Ardak Doszhan, Head of the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Ministry of Justice and raised our concerns about the law. In June, the French ambassador, in his capacity as EU presidency, demarched the Kazakhstani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These concerns are also reflected in the EU's statement at the OSCE Permanent Council on 23 October 2008, which called on the Senate to reconsider the draft legislation to ensure its consistency with Kazakhstan's OSCE commitments.
	Separately, the UK is funding via Freedom House a group of Kazakhstani non-governmental organisations to monitor progress on the commitments made by Kazakhstan at the OSCE Ministerial in Madrid last year. This work includes legislative developments on freedom of conscience.

Macedonia: Politics and Government

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Ministers in his Department last met representatives of the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; and what was discussed.

Caroline Flint: I met Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Ivica Bocevski, on 14 October. Our discussion focussed on Macedonia's progress towards EU accession. I welcomed the progress outlined by Mr. Bocevski and encouraged Macedonia to continue in its reforms. I also welcomed Macedonia's recent recognition of Kosovo, which represents a contribution to greater regional stability. Mr. Bocevski indicated Macedonia's desire to make progress in the negotiations under the UN on the bilateral name issue with Greece. He also updated me on Macedonia's efforts to tighten border management procedures and document security.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of support provided to Israeli settlers by  (a) the Israeli government and  (b) the Israeli military; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Israeli government and defence forces provide a wide range of financial and security assistance to settlers. We regard all settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as illegal under international law and settlement construction as a serious obstacle to peace. The Roadmap is clear that Israel should freeze all settlement construction including the natural growth of existing settlements, and dismantle all outposts built since 2001. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about settlement activity with the Israeli government at the highest level.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the United States' recent military action in Syria on the Middle East peace process.

Bill Rammell: We are currently seeking full details of the incident on the Syria/Iraq border. It is the longstanding position of the British Government to regret any civilian casualties, no matter how they are caused. The incident is now an issue for discussion between the Syrian, Iraqi and US Governments.
	The UK supports a comprehensive and just resolution to the middle east peace process. We strongly support the ongoing peace talks between Israel and Syria, mediated by Turkey, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian talks initiated at Annapolis in 2007. It is essential that these talks continue over the coming months. We will do all that we can to support them.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will take steps to discourage UK residents from purchasing properties inside illegal Israeli settlements;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of houses in illegal Israeli settlements which are owned by UK nationals.

Bill Rammell: We do not hold figures on the number of houses in Israeli settlements owned by UK nationals. All settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law and settlement construction is a serious obstacle to peace. Given that, we would certainly not want any UK nationals resident in Israel to purchase property inside one of those illegal settlements. We are looking at whether there are effective ways in which we can actively discourage them from so doing.

Palestinians: Human Rights

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the UK Government plan to make at the United Nations to the report of Richard Falk, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories on Israeli violations of Article 3 of the Convention on Human Rights in the case of journalist Mohammed Omer.

Bill Rammell: The report was first presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2008. The UK does not intend to respond unilaterally to this report. We will respond collectively with our EU partners when this report is discussed at the UN in New York later this year.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Saudi Arabian Government on use of the death penalty in that country since 2006.

Bill Rammell: We continue to work with the Government of Saudi Arabia on reform issues and regularly raise our concerns at the highest level, including at ministerial level. Most recently, on 15 October our embassy in Riyadh urged the governmental Human Rights Commission to end the use of capital punishment, especially in the cases of minors. The Government also regularly act with other EU states to raise the issue of capital punishment in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Saudi Arabian Government seeking  (a) a moratorium on executions and  (b) an end to use of the death penalty against children in that country.

Bill Rammell: We regularly raise our concerns about capital punishment with the Saudi Government. Most recently, on 15 October, our embassy in Riyadh urged the governmental Human Rights Commission to end the use of capital punishment, especially in the cases of minors. The Government also regularly act with other EU states to raise the issue of capital punishment in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia: Education

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the government of Saudi Arabia on means of ensuring that Saudi aid for peaceful educational programmes to Palestine is spent on such purposes.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary holds regular discussions with his Saudi counterparts on aid for the Palestinian Authority, including for educational programmes. The Saudi Arabian Government are one of the largest donors to the Palestinian Authority. We have no evidence to suggest that aid from the Saudi Arabian Government is being diverted to other purposes, and will continue to seek the most appropriate educational programmes to support financially. The British Council maintain offices in Jerusalem, Gaza City, Hebron, Khan Yunis, Nablus and Ramallah, and work closely with the UN Relief and Works Agency on projects throughout the Palestinian Territories. Both the British Council and Department For International Development work closely with the Palestinian Ministry of Education.

Shimon Peres

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has given advice on the award of an honour to Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We do not comment on advice given on the award of honours or honorary awards.

Shura Council

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Saudi Arabia's Shura Council will next be invited to visit the United Kingdom.

Bill Rammell: A delegation from the Majlis ash Shura is welcome to visit the UK at any time. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office would be happy to offer assistance in accordance with the extent to which the visit helps our departmental strategic priorities. If the hon. Member is interested in organising such a visit he should liaise with the British embassy in Riyadh in good time.

Somalia: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 502W, on Somalia, what technical and advisory assistance has been provided to the government in Somalia by the UK since that date; and what assessment has been made of the impact of that assistance.

Douglas Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) provides no support directly to the Government of Somalia. DFID has been working through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other donors to assist the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to implement the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC). This assistance has enabled the introduction of basic budgetary processes and public financial management (PFM) systems in Somalia and the development of a work plan for the drafting of Somalia's new constitution.
	The partnership with the UNDP also includes capacity building and technical assistance support to the Somaliland Government in the North West region of Somalia focused on public financial management and civil service reform.

UN Resolutions

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which resolutions the United Kingdom has  (a) initiated,  (b) co-sponsored and  (c) voted for at the current session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York; and what the reasons are for the position taken by the Government in each case.

Gillian Merron: As at 30 October, the current, and 63rd, session of the UN General Assembly had passed six resolutions so far. Details of these resolutions can be found at
	http://www.un.org/ga/63/resolutions.shtml.
	The UK did not initiate any of these resolutions. Four of the resolutions were passed by consensus without UK co-sponsorship and no vote was necessary. These four were:
	Permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade;
	Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations: requests under Article 19 of the Charter;
	Outcome document of the midterm review of the Almaty Programme of Action: Addressing the Special Needs of Landlocked Developing Countries within a New Global Framework for Transit Transport Cooperation for Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries;
	Political declaration on Africa's development needs.
	On the fifth resolution, in relation to seeking an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence, the United Kingdom abstained from the vote, along with 73 other member states. The UK strongly supports the International Court of Justice, but questioned the utility of this request, believing it to be potentially destabilising for Kosovo, Serbia and the wider region.
	The sixth resolution was on the Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The UK co-sponsored the resolution, and it passed without a vote.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Charities: Lobbying

Nick Hurd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance the Charity Commission has produced on registered charities sponsoring political parties to lobby for public policy changes relating to their charitable remits.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew Hind, dated 28 October 2008:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question tabled for answer today.
	The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. The commission produces guidance for charities regarding campaigning and political activity, which explains the legal position on this issue. The guidance is called Speaking Out and is available via our website at www.charitycommission.gov.uk. I have also enclosed a printed copy for ease of reference and arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.
	The guidance confirms that campaigning and political activity can be legitimate and valuable activities for charities to undertake. Charities may try to influence the policy of a political party in various ways. However, the guidance explains that a charity must not give its support to any one political party. The guidance further clarifies that A charity cannot give financial support, or support in kind, to a political party. A charity cannot therefore sponsor a political party by way of donations.
	I hope this is helpful. If you have specific concerns about this issue, please do let me have the details so that the Commission can look into them.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what percentage of employees working in  (a) the Prime Minister's and  (b) the Leader of the House's office are (i) on a flexible working contract, (ii) on a job-share employment contract and (iii) work from home for more than four hours a week;
	(2)  what percentage of employees in  (a) the Prime Minister's Office and  (b) the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons (i) are on a flexible working contract, (ii) are on a job-share employment contract and (iii) work from home for more than four hours a week.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's and the Leader of the House's office form part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office is committed to and actively supports flexible working. The Cabinet Office's flexible working policy promotes a positive work life balance, values diversity and meets the needs of a 24/7 operationally active Department through offering different working patterns.
	Information on what percentage of employees working (i) on flexible working contracts, (ii) on a job-share employment contract and (iii) from home for more than four hours a week is not held centrally. Units in Cabinet Office hold this information separately. This information would be available only at a disproportionate cost.

Employment

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the oral answer from the Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions, to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell of 20 October 2008,  Official Report, column 4, on labour statistics, how many  (a) British born and  (b) migrant workers were in employment (i) in October 2006 and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Mike Hughes, dated November 2008:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking pursuant to the Oral Answer to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell of 20th October 2008,  Official Report, column 4, on labour statistics, how many  (a) British born and  (b) emigrant workers were in employment (i) in October 2006 and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available, and if a statement will be made. I am replying in her absence. (234060).
	Your question has been answered on the same basis as the Oral answer you refer to, reported in the  Official Report, column 4, on 20 October 2008.
	The attached table gives the number of people of working age in employment in the United Kingdom by country of birth (UK born and Non-UK born), for October-December 2006, and April-June 2008 (the latest estimate available). Note that official employment estimates are published on a three month rolling basis; estimates for individual months are not available. The October-December 2006 estimate has therefore been provided. Estimates for April-June 2006 have also been included in the table to allow comparison of employment levels between the latest period available, and two years earlier.
	Please note that the figures quoted in the  Official Report (365,000 and 865,000) refer to the decrease in UK born employment, and increase in non-UK born employment respectively, over the last three years. However, due to a printing error in Hansard, the answer to Parliamentary Question 226214 ( Official Report, 13 October 2008, columns 953W to 956W) incorrectly showed the estimated change in UK born employment from 2007 to 2008 as -24,000 rather than +24,000. As a consequence the estimated decrease in UK born employment over the last three years is 317,000 not 365,000.
	The estimates in the table are derived from Labour Force Survey (LFS) microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007.
	They are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the attached table.
	
		
			  Employment levels for working age( 1)  population, by country of birth United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			   UK born  Non-UK born 
			 April-June 2006 24,670 3,104 
			 October-December 2006 24,744 3,207 
			 April-June 2008(2) 24,532* 3,617* 
			 (1) Men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the levels of the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates as described below:  Guide to Quality The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0  CV 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5  CV  10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10  CV  20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc).  Source:  Labour Force Survey.

Foreign Workers

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has made of the proportion of foreign nationals aged over 16 years in the UK workforce in each year since 1987; what breakdown the ONS has made of the employment of foreign nationals by sector; and what estimate the ONS made of the proportion of foreign nationals in the workforce by sector in the last quarter for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated November 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has made of the proportion of foreign nationals aged over 16 years in the UK workforce in each year since 1987; what breakdown the ONS has made of the employment of foreign nationals by sector; and what estimate the ONS has made of the proportion of foreign nationals in the workforce by sector in the last quarter for which figures are available (234273).
	The attached table provides estimates on the proportion of people aged 16 and over in employment who are non-UK nationals from April-June 1995 to April-June 2008. Comparable data prior to 1995 are not available. These estimates have also been broken down by Standard Industrial Classification (1992) sector to provide the proportion of non-UK nationals employed within each industry sector.
	The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	The figures in the table are derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. They are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
	
		
			  Proportion of people aged 16 and over in employment who are non-UK nationals, by broad industry sector, three months ending June, 1995 to 2008 United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			Standard Industrial Classification (1992) 
			   Total( 1)  A-B: Agriculture and fishing  C-E: Energy and water  D: Manufacturing  F: Construction 
			 1995 3 1 1 2 2 
			 1996 3 1 2 2 3 
			 1997 4 1 2 3 3 
			 1998 4 1 2 3 3 
			 1999 4 1 3 3 3 
			   
			 2000 4 1 3 3 3 
			 2001 4 2 2 3 3 
			 2002 5 2 3 3 3 
			 2003 5 2 3 4 3 
			 2004 5 1 3 4 3 
			   
			 2005 6 3 2 5 3 
			 2006 7 3 3 6 5 
			 2007 7 4 5 8 6 
			 2008 8 5 7 8 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Standard Industrial Classification (1992) 
			   G-H: Distribution hotels and restaurants  I: Transport and communication  J-K: Financial intermediation, real estate, renting and business activities  L-N: Public admin, education and health  O-Q: Other services 
			 1995 4 3 3 4 4 
			 1996 4 2 4 3 5 
			 1997 4 3 4 4 5 
			 1998 5 4 5 4 6 
			 1999 4 4 4 4 5 
			   
			 2000 5 4 5 4 6 
			 2001 5 4 6 4 6 
			 2002 6 4 6 4 6 
			 2003 6 5 7 5 6 
			 2004 6 5 7 5 6 
			   
			 2005 7 5 7 6 6 
			 2006 7 6 8 6 7 
			 2007 8 8 9 6 7 
			 2008 9 8 10 6 7 
			 (1) Includes those whose industry sector was not known.  Note: The above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc).  Source: Labour Force Survey

Personal Income

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the median income per capita was in  (a) Ribble Valley constituency,  (b) the north west and  (c) the United Kingdom in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 27 October 2008
	 I have been asked to reply.
	Specific information regarding incomes and circumstances of households in the United Kingdom is available in the Family Resources Survey 2006-07.
	The data source does not allow us to provide robust numbers for estimates below the level of the north west Government office region.
	For the north west, three survey year averages are given. This is because robust single year estimates for regions cannot be produced because of the volatility in estimates.
	Over the period 2004-05 to 2006-07, the median income per capita in 2006-07 prices for the north west is 218 per week. The equivalent figure for the United Kingdom over the same period is 228 per week in 2006-07 prices.
	 Notes:
	1. These statistics are based on Family Resources Survey data.
	2. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
	3. The reference period for Family Resources Survey figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined for the north west as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility, so statistics for the north west cover the period 2004-05 to 2006-07, and are presented in 2006-07 prices. A three-year average has also been presented for statistics covering the United Kingdom, so these statistics are comparable to the statistics for the north west.
	4. Incomes have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling.

Unemployment: Young People

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) UK national and  (b) UK-born 16 to 24-year-olds were unemployed in each of the last four quarters for which figures are available; what the percentage change in each category was over the previous quarter; what the employment rate in each category was; and what the percentage change was between the second quarter of 1997 and the most recent quarter for which figures are available in each category.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated November 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) UK national and (b) UK-born 16 to 24 year olds were unemployed in each of the last four quarters for which figures are available; what the percentage change in each category was over the previous quarter; what the employment rate in each category was; and what the percentage change was between the second quarter of 1997 and the most recent quarter for which figures are available in each category. (233531)
	The requested information is shown in the attached tables.
	The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	The figures in the table are derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. They are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unemployment( 1)  levels far 16 to 24-year-olds for UK nationals and UK born United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousands and percentage 
			UK nationals aged 16 to 24  UK born aged 18 to 24 
			Unemployment level  Change on previous quarter  (%)  Unemployment level  Change on previous quarter  (%) 
			 2007 Q3 751 22 730 22 
			  Q4 616 -18 600 -18 
			   
			 2008 Q1 586 -5 576 -4 
			  Q2(2) 622 6 609 6 
			   
			 Percentage change between Q2 1997 and Q2 2008  0.7  1.5  
			 (1 )Number of unemployed people measured using the internationally agreed definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2 )Coefficients of variation have been calculated for the levels for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described as follows:  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CVfor example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0  CV 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5  CV  10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10  CV  20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Note: It should be noted that the aforementioned estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment(e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc)  Source:  Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Employment rates for 18 to 24-year-olds by nationality and country of birth United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			UK nationals  UK born 
			 2007 Q3 60 61 
			  Q4 60 60 
			 
			 2008 Q1 58 58 
			  Q2 57 57 
			 
			 Change between Q2 1997 and Q2 2008 (percentage points)  -4.7 -4.9 
			  Note: It should be noted that the aforementioned estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.) .  Source:  Labour Force Survey (LFS)

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children in Care: National Curriculum Tests

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of children in care scheduled to take key stage  (a) 2 and  (b) 3 tests were (i) marked as absent, (ii) took the tests but failed to register a level, (iii) reached level 2, (iv) reached level 3, (v) reached level 4, (vi) reached level 5 and (vii) reached level 6 in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The numbers and percentages of children looked after continuously for 12 months, who attained the expected level at key stage 2 and 3, are shown in the following Statistical First Releases:
	Outcome Indicators for Looked after Children, Twelve months to 30 September 2004England (years 2002 to 2004 are shown in table B)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000577/index.shtml
	Outcome Indicators for Children Looked After, Twelve months to 30 September 2007England (years 2005 to 2007 are shown in table B)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000785/index.shtml.
	More detailed information is unavailable.

Departmental Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what  (a) equipment and  (b) data were lost by his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Equipment reported as lost, missing or stolen in the financial year 2007-08 is as follows:
	
		
			   (a) All equipment 
			 Laptop 13 
			 Blackberry 8 
			 Mobile phone 3 
			 Laptop disk drives (no data) 2 
			 Memory Stick 0 
			 Total 26 
		
	
	 (b) The Department for Children, Schools and Families in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance did not report any personal data related incidents for the period 2007-08.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations he has received on students who have discontinued their studies as a result of the delay in education maintenance allowance payments.

Jim Knight: In September 2008, this Department received a letter from an Entry to Employment training supervisor who suggested that a small number of trainees may have left their course early because they had not received education maintenance allowance quickly enough.
	We have not received any other representations about young people dropping out due to a delay in receiving EMA payments.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of 16 to 18 year olds have received education maintenance allowance in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [Official Report, 14 January 2009, Vol. 486, c. 5MC.]

Jim Knight: Education maintenance allowance (EMA) is available to learners aged 16 to 19. The number of learners in receipt of EMA in England since 2001 is given in Table 1.
	The proportions of 16 to 18-year-olds who have received EMA in each year since 2001 as a percentage of all 16 to 18-year-olds in England are given in Table 2.
	Provisional figures for 2007/08 show 46.3 per cent. of 16 to 18-year-olds participating full-time education received EMA.
	
		
			  Table 1: Learners in receipt of EMA in England since 2001 
			   Number 
			 2001/02 114,254 
			 2002/03 124,351 
			 2003/04 126,871 
			 2004/05 297,567 
			 2005/06 430,327 
			 2006/07(1) 528,403 
			 2007/08(1) 560,045 
			 (1) Learners who participate in more full-time education and E2E/programme-led apprenticeships will appear twice in these figures may have transferred from one scheme to another during the year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: EMA recipients in England as a percentage of 16 to 18-year-old population in England 
			   Percentage 
			 2001/02 6.2 
			 2002/03 6.6 
			 2003/04 6.6 
			 2004/05 15.1 
			 2005/06 21.6 
			 2006/07 26.3 
			 2007/08 27.8

Education Maintenance Allowance: Telephone Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the education maintenance allowance helpline in meeting its objectives in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and manage the contract with Liberata who deliver EMA. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education: Statistics

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what data local authorities are required to collect from schools on a regular basis; which of these datasets are reported to central government; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: No central record is kept of the data collections that local authorities make of schools. The Department records the data collections that we ourselves require of local authorities, and schools, and this is published in a calendar format on a monthly basis, available on TeacherNet, at:
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/ims/data collections/
	Before approving their go-ahead, any data collection proposals from this Department are subject to a comprehensive assessment of their potential burden impact. This involves taking account of opinions of stakeholders representing schools and local authorities.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of schools in which  (a) 0 to 10 per cent.,  (b) 11 to 20 per cent. and  (c) 21 to 30 per cent. of children were entitled to free school meals did not (i) enter any pupils for and (ii) offer examination entry in (A) GCSE separate sciences and (B) a modern language GCSE in the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information required can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information relating to the 2008 key stage 4 attainment of pupils with free school meals will be available once the NPD Statistical First Release has been published in December.

Head Teachers: Recruitment

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of trends in head teacher recruitment from amongst deputy head teachers.

Jim Knight: The head teacher vacancy rate remains low and stable. The Department does not collect the numbers of deputy head teachers that move into headship. Our priority is to ensure that we have enough good head teachers, and that is why we provided the National College for School Leadership with 10 million to work with schools and local authorities right around the country to develop local solutions to find, develop and keep great head teachers. The College has been making significant progress in identifying ambitious teachers and helping them become heads and latest NCSL figures show that more than 1,034(1) head teachers took up their first headship post in England over the past 12 months. These were appointed from a range of roles including deputy and assistant heads.
	(1) This figure has been compiled by the NCSL based on 115 returns from LAs in response to the request (made in September 2008) for names and schools of all first time heads appointed in their area.

Primary Education: Computers

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to upgrade computers in primary schools over the next three years.

Jim Knight: Over 600 million capital funding has been made available through the Harnessing Technology Grant and will be distributed to all maintained primary and secondary schools in England, via local authorities, between 2008-11. The Harnessing Technology Grant can be used to replenish and extend the ICT infrastructure in schoolsboth hardware and software. Schools can, of course, also use other sources of funding on technology-related projects and services.

Private Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school pupils were educated in an independent school in each year since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is not possible, given the amount of analysis required, to provide a response to this question within the timeframe required by Parliament. The requested information will be placed in the House Library in due course.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school pupils were entitled to free school meals in each year since 1980; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The available information is shown in the following table. Prior to 1993 information on numbers of pupils eligible for free school meals was not collected.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : school meal arrangementsposition in January each year 1993 to 2008, England 
			   Maintained primary 
			   Number on roll( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 4,165,310 768,780 18.5 916,070 22.0 
			 1994 4,241,670 810,650 19.1 949,790 22.4 
			 1995 4,312,070 810,750 18.8 956,500 22.2 
			 1996 4,389,310 823,530 18.8 974,280 22.2 
			 1997 4,428,620 771,780 17.4 938,540 21.2 
			 1998 4,460,130 727,840 16.3 886,070 19.9 
			 1999 4,460,170 686,840 15.4 848,170 19.0 
			 2000 4,435,340 668,180 15.1 816,990 18.4 
			 2001 4,406,190 628,510 14.3 779,310 17.7 
			 2002 4,363,270 613,560 14.1 750,590 17.2 
			 2003 4,309,780 601,900 14.0 727,630 16.9 
			 2004 4,254,210 605,840 14.2 737,220 17.3 
			 2005 4,205,670 565,830 13.5 713,680 17.0 
			 2006 4,150,590 553,690 13.3 666,890 16.1 
			 2007 4,110,750 541,940 13.2 655,510 15.9 
			 2008 4,090,400 536,000 13.1 638,310 15.6 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			   Number on roll( 2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals( 3)  Percentage of pupils taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1993 2,960,830 338,190 11.4 472,350 16.0 
			 1994 2,929,350 370,160 12.6 517,110 17.7 
			 1995 2,988,950 387,550 13.0 539,440 18.0 
			 1996 3,006,940 399,620 13.3 550,900 18.3 
			 1997 3,036,990 381,240 12.6 552,900 18.2 
			 1998 3,069,030 367,800 12.0 537,070 17.5 
			 1999 3,118,280 367,800 11.8 527,340 16.9 
			 2000 3,178,000 368,300 11.6 523,630 16.5 
			 2001 3,226,970 353,470 11.0 509,680 15.8 
			 2002 3,260,930 354,260 10.9 486,350 14.9 
			 2003 3,308,490 349,780 10.6 478,920 14.5 
			 2004 3,326,800 351,380 10.6 477,290 14.3 
			 2005 3,317,590 335,140 10.1 465,520 14.0 
			 2006 3,309,720 328,750 9.9 448,680 13.6 
			 2007 3,272,480 314,630 9.6 429,700 13.1 
			 2008 3,214,030 308,150 9.6 410,810 12.8 
			 (1) Includes middles schools as deemed. (2) Prior to 2003 includes dually registered pupils and excludes boarding pupils, from 2003 onwards includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils. (3) Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on the census day in January.  Note: National pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Schools Census

School Leaving

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the increase in  (a) pupil numbers and  (b) school estates over the next 10 years as a result of the change in post-16 year old education provision; and at what cost.

Jim Knight: There are two fundamental changes expected in post 16 provisions over the next 10 years. Firstly by 2015, subject to the successful passage of the current Education and Skills Bill, all young people will be required to be in some form of education or training until at least 18. Secondly, in the future, all publicly funded qualifications will fall within one of four routesApprenticeships, Diplomas, the Foundation Learning Tier or General Qualifications (GCSEs and A Levels). The growth in numbers of Apprenticeships toward one in five young people, alongside the delivery of 17 Diploma lines, will both enable full participation of young people and mean that the growth of pupil numbers is not predominantly schools based.
	In 2007/08, there were 447,500 16 to 17-year-olds and 23,800 18-year-olds participating in schools out of a total of 1,119,400 16 to 17-year-olds and 375,800 18-year-olds participating in Education and Work Based Learning. Mid-year population estimates for 2015 suggest that, with full participation, there will be around 1,197,300 16 to 17-year-olds participating in Education and WBL. The trajectory, and costs attributed to achieving these levels of participation, including the relative contribution of schools, colleges and other providers will be agreed as part of the next spending review.
	The changes in provision will mean changing requirements as to what schools, colleges and learning providers offer, with some implications for school estates. The 16-19 capital fund was established to meet the cost of new post-16 places in schools and colleges. The value of this fund is 630 million in the three years to 2010-11. In addition, there will be a further 30 million in 2010-11 in recognition of the additional post-16 costs associated with raising the participation age. Further monies will need to be agreed as part of the next spending review.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many vacancies there were for school governors in Suffolk for  (a) primary,  (b) middle and  (c) upper schools in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Department does not routinely collect this information. Suffolk county council has provided the following information. This information is not held for earlier years.
	
		
			   October 
			  Governor vacancies  2007  2008 
			 Primary 321 495 
			 Middle 102 156 
			 Upper and Higher 73 102

Schools: Voluntary Work

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to encourage volunteers to assist children with reading in schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department undertakes a variety of activity to support children's reading, notably in 2008 through the National Year of Reading. We also fund Volunteer Reading Help (VRH) a national charity which recruits and trains volunteers to help children who are struggling to learn to read.

Specialist Schools: Languages

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of specialist language colleges teach languages on a compulsory basis until the age of 16 years.

Jim Knight: To date 352 specialist schools have chosen languages as one of their specialisms with the aim of becoming centres of excellence and supporting the National Languages Strategy 'Languages for all'. Schools opting for this specialism must be able to demonstrate their commitment to promoting languages in Key Stage 4 and ensure that all students follow a language course at this key stage. However my Department does not collect data on how many specialist language schools teach languages on a compulsory basis until the age of 16 years.
	Languages are already a compulsory part of the national curriculum at key stage 3. In response to Lord Dearing's recommendations on how to increase the number of pupils doing languages post-14 we will provide better and more coherent support for teachers, introduce a more flexible curriculum and make languages compulsory at key stage 2 from September 2011.

Specialist Schools: Science

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of specialist science colleges offer GCSEs in the separate sciences.

Jim Knight: To date 433 specialist schools have chosen science as one of their specialisms with the aim of becoming centres of excellence and improving post-16 participation in science. However my Department does not collect data on how many and what percentages of specialist science schools offer GCSEs in the separate sciences.
	From September 2008 all specialist science schools will offer triple science at least to all pupils who have achieved level 6+ at the end of key stage 3. In addition there are 580 technology and 68 engineering specialist schools which will be expected to offer triple science from September 2009 and 361 mathematics and computing specialist schools which will be expected to offer triple science from September 2010.

Talent Taskforce

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he expects his Department to spend on the Talent Taskforce in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Talent and Enterprise Taskforce's programme budget is 4 million per year for the period 2008-11. The Taskforce's running costs are 350,919 per year over the same period. This is used to fund programmes and activities to promote the talent agenda and engage influential networks and organisations across society to do the same.

Teachers TV

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor paid towards the production of Teachers TV in the last three years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Teachers TV was launched in February 2005 and aims to help raise standards in classrooms by sharing good practice, supporting continuing professional development, offering classroom resources, and providing education news and information. In the channel's first operating year the Department provided funding of 19.9 million, in the second 16 million and 16.7 million in the third operating year.

Teachers: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) teachers and  (b) classroom assistants worked in maintained schools in Enfield North constituency (i) in 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers and teaching assistants employed in local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and pupil referral units in Enfield North constituency and England, January 1997 and 2008.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent teachers( 1)  and teaching assistants( 2)  in local authority maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and pupil referra l unit, years 1997 and 2008coverage: Enfield North constituency and England 
			   Enfield North constituency  England 
			  1997   
			 Teachers 990 385,690 
			 Teaching assistants 110 60,580 
			
			  2008   
			 Teachers 1,200 421,310 
			 Teaching assistants 550 175,660 
			 (1) Includes qualified and unqualified teachers. (2) 'Teaching assistants' include teaching assistants, special needs support staff and minority ethnic pupil support staff.  Notes: 1. Excludes academies and city technology colleges. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding the Training and Development Agency has recovered as a result of unfilled places in teacher training in each of the last five years; and how that money has been reallocated.

Jim Knight: The Training and Development Agency for Schools recovers funding allocated to initial teacher training providers for initial teacher training places that remain unfilled. The following table shows the amount of funding recovered for the five most recent years for which figures are currently available, split between unfilled provider-based (higher education institution and school centred initial teacher training) initial teacher training places and employment-based initial teacher training places.
	
		
			   million 
			  Academic year  Unfilled provider-based (HEI and SCITT) initial teacher training places  Unfilled employment-based initial teacher training places 
			 2003/04 8.145 n/a 
			 2004/05 9.494 5.700 
			 2005/06 6.540 5.590 
			 2006/07 8.904 5.978 
			 2007/08 7.749 5.841 
			 n/a = Not available.  Source Training and Development Agency for Schools. 
		
	
	Funding recovered by the TDA from initial teacher training providers for unfilled initial teacher training places is recycled. The amount of funding allocated to an initial teacher training provider for the next academic year period is reduced by the amount of funding recoverable from them for unfilled initial teacher training places in the previous academic year.

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many providers of initial teacher training have asked for an increase in their number of teacher training places in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Training and Development Agency for Schools holds records of those applications from initial teacher training providers for additional initial teacher training place allocations that are successful. The TDA does not maintain records of unsuccessful applications from initial teacher training providers. The following table shows the number of initial teacher training providers that were allocated additional places for each of the five years 2005/06 through to 2010/11.
	
		
			  Academic year  Provider-based (HEI and SCITT) ITT providers  Employment-based ITT providers 
			 2005/06 30 45 
			 2006/07 35 40 
			 2007/08 46 47 
			 2008/09 28 42 
			 2009/10 66 2 
			 2010/11 64 27 
			  Source: Training and Development Agency for Schools.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Business: Thames Gateway Bridge

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge on businesses in  (a) East London,  (b) South East London and  (c) Greater London.

Patrick McFadden: Assessments of the impact on business of the proposed Thames Gateway bridge are a matter for Transport for London as the scheme's promoter.

Combined Heat and Power: Public Buildings

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of the electricity derived from combined heat and power plants is obtained from combined heat and power plants located on the Government estate.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	There are 10 combined heat and power (CHP) schemes located on the Government estate registered with the Government's CHP quality assurance programme (CHPQA). In 2007-08 these 10 schemes produced just over 19 gigawatt hours of good quality CHP electricity. This represents around 0.1 per cent. of the 28,677 gigawatts electricity produced in total by good quality CHP plants in the UK in 2007.
	Early information from the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) as part of its annual Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) report indicates that total CHP generated electricity consumed on the Government estate in 2007-08 was 311 gigawatt hours. This would mean that the 19 gigawatt hours of good quality CHP electricity generated on the Government estate represents around 6 per cent. of the total CHP electricity consumed on the Government estate in 2007-08.

Company Liquidations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses have entered liquidation in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: The following table records numbers of liquidations and trading-related bankruptcies in England and Wales in each year since 1997.
	
		
			   Company liquidations  Bankruptcy orders for self-employed individuals( 1) 
			 1997 12,610 11,269 
			 1998 13,203 10,420 
			 1999 14,280 10,723 
			 2000 14,317 9,952 
			 2001 14,972 9,839 
			 2002 16,306 8,854 
			 2003 14,184 9,139 
			 2004 12,192 9,564 
			 2005 12,893 10,839 
			 2006 13,137 10,894 
			 2007 12,507 7,058 
			 (1) Figures from the fourth quarter of 2006 are based on a revised classification. This should be noted when interpreting trends in the above series.

Contracts: Cancellations

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidance  (a) his Department and  (b) the Certification Officer has produced on the application of the Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008 to the sale of union membership in a workplace.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has produced general guidance, available on the BERR web site, about the Cancellation of Contracts Made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008. The guidance does not specifically cover the application of the regulations to the sale of union membership in a workplace.
	This is not an issue within the Certification Officer's jurisdiction and he has produced no guidance on the regulations.

Departmental Buildings

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 268W, on departmental buildings, what the cost of each refurbishment was.

Patrick McFadden: BERR did not undertake any refurbishments on its HQ estate during the period covered by the previous question to which this refers. The refurbishments listed in the answer given on 6 October 2008 were undertaken by Companies House and the Insolvency Service and I have approached their chief executives who will respond to the right hon. Gentleman directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 10 November 2008:
	The Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2007/4320), pursuant to the Answer to the Hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6th October 2008, Official Report, column 268W, on departmental buildings, what the cost of each refurbishment was.
	The Insolvency Service did not carry out any work that constitutes a refurbishment in the relevant period. Therefore, we did not incur refurbishment costs.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 10 November 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	The costs of the refurbishments carried out by Companies House in the last 24 months are as follows:
	Redecoration and carpeting of London office: 12,500
	Refurbishment in Cardiff office: 560,000

Departmental Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many external consultants were under contract to provide work for his Department as at 1 October 2008.

Patrick McFadden: The Department employs external consultants on time limited projects to provide objective advice and assistance when in-house skills are not available.
	Our records show that as at 1 October 2008, 72 consultants were under contract to provide work for the Department.
	The Department has recently introduced the CARA (Consultancy And Research Approval) process to monitor and provide authorisation, by the Senior Responsible Officer, of any Consultancy requirement that exceeds 85,000. CARA requires staff to seek approval for engagement of such services before contracts are entered into.

Departmental Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what  (a) equipment and  (b) data were lost by his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: In the last 12 months, 1 November 2007 to date, the following equipment and data have been recorded as lost by BERR staff.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Laptop PCs 3 
			 Blackberry Handheld devices 7 
		
	
	The table contains the losses for those parts of BERR which now form part of the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
	Laptops belonging to BERR utilise full-hard disk encryption.
	The Blackberry Handheld Devices also utilise full encryption. In addition when the loss is reported a wipe command is sent to the missing device.
	BERR, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, did not report any personal data related incidents for the period 2007-08.

Departmental Mobile Phones

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many mobile telephones his Department and its predecessor bought in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The Department maintains records of the number of official mobile telephones held by staff that have been purchased through the Office of Government Commerce Catalist Contract. BERR currently holds 949 mobile telephones under this contract. Our suppliers can only provide details of new orders over the last 12 months during which BERR has purchased 204 new mobile handsets. This figure includes upgrades and contract renewals on existing services. Earlier financial year figures are not available.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what funding has been agreed with each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies for the period 2008 to 2011.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 22 October 2008
	 Funding for 2008-09 agreed with each of the Department's executive non-departmental public bodies, above 1 million, can be found on page 398 of the published Central Government Supply Estimates 2008-09see extract and following link. The only body not on the list is Sitpro and we have agreed a figure of 800,000 for 2008-09. Funding for future years (i.e. 2009-10 and 2010-11) has not yet been agreed.
	Web link:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/5705.htm
	
		
			  Main Estimate 2008-09  Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
			  Notes to the Main Estimate (continued) 
			  000 
			  RfR Section  Body  Grants in aid 
			  
			 RfR1-G Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service 44,637 
			 RfRl-A The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux 21,470 
			 RfR1-A Citizen's Advice Scotland 3,018 
			 RfR1-P The National Consumer Council 3,775 
			 RfR1-Q Energy Watch 10,642 
			 RfR1-P Postwatch 8,421 
			 RfR1-R Capital for Enterprise 2,545 
			 RfR1-P The Competition Service 4,283 
			 RfR1-P The Competition Commission 21,399 
			 RfR1-U The Coal Authority 37,3.37 
			 RfR1-S The Regional Development Agencies 1,778,837 
			 RfR1-U The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority 7,667 
			 RfR1-U The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 2,663,230 
			 RfR1-T The Local Better Regulation Office 4,400 
			 RfR1-V The Civil Nuclear Police Authority 3,000 
			
			 Total  4,614,661

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which companies were used by his Department and its predecessor for providing temporary staff since its establishment; and what the value of contracts with each such company was.

Patrick McFadden: Central records for 1999 show payments made on a transactional basis to providers of temporary staff. These records, broken down by financial year and where applicable, by category of temporary staff, have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Members Interests

Adam Price: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Secretary of State has declared his relevant interests to the Permanent Secretary in his Department.

Patrick McFadden: Yes.

Non-profit Making Associations

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he plans to unite social enterprises into a national organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) was established in 2002 with the backing of the (then) DTI. SEC is the national representative body for all social enterprises, bringing together member bodies from across the sector including Co-operatives UK, the Development Trust Association, Social Firms UK and regional social enterprise networks. SEC represents over 10,000 social enterprises across the UK, providing them with a collective voice. SEC is one of the Cabinet Office's strategic partners, and received core funding as part of this. SEC are a valued partner of Government, raising the profile of social enterprise and building capacity and encouraging co-operation across the sector.

Political Levy

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what state funding trades unions receive to assist with the cost of running 10-yearly ballots on their political funds; and what guidelines there are on the literature that may be sent with ballot papers.

Patrick McFadden: There is no state funding to unions to help them meet the cost of running political fund ballots. There are no statutory guidelines on the literature that may be posted out with ballot papers, though the law provides that those entitled to vote must be able to do so without interference or constraint.

Post Offices: Closures

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post office branches were open in Castle Point in each year since 1990.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Postage Stamps

Don Foster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what oversight role the Shareholder Executive for Royal Mail has in the issue of postage stamps.

Patrick McFadden: Decisions relating to operational matters, which include decisions relating to Royal Mail's postage stamps, are the direct responsibility of the company's management.
	It is not the role of the Shareholder Executive to involve itself in company decisions on the issue of postage stamps. The Department's Postal Policy Unit which is separate from the Shareholder Executive does, however, have a representative on Royal Mail's Stamps Advisory Committee.

Postage Stamps

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will assess whether the introduction of self-adhesive stamps in 2001 has led to an increase in the number of letters received at sorting offices without stamps.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked Adam Crozier, Chief Executive of Royal Mail, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many unprocessed housing benefit applications there were at the end of each quarter in each of the last five years  (a) in total and  (b) broken down by the lowest geographical area for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many unprocessed council tax benefit applications there were at the end of each quarter in each of the last five years  (a) in total and  (b) broken down by the lowest geographical area for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The available information for the total number of housing benefit and council tax benefit claims outstanding per quarter by local authority has been placed in the Library.

Council Tax Benefits

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much council tax benefit subsidy was paid to local authorities in  (a) England,  (b) Wales and  (c) Scotland in each year since 1999.

Kitty Ussher: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Council tax benefit subsidy paid to local authorities: Great Britain 
			   million (nominal terms) 
			   England  Wales  Scotland 
			 1999-2000 1,888 99 278 
			 2000-01 1,909 109 280 
			 2001-02 1,978 113 286 
			 2002-03 2,184 120 294 
			 2003-04 2,518 130 307 
			 2004-05 2,948 156 345 
			 2005-06 3,118 170 354 
			 2006-07 3,276 178 359 
			 2007-08 3,375 184 353 
			  Notes: 1. Information sourced from local authority claims for council tax benefit subsidy.  2. Figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are not yet fully audited, and represent provisional out-turn for the year.

Departmental Responsibilities

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what speaking engagements  (a) he and his predecessor and  (b) Ministers in his Department have attended in the last 12 months; and at whose invitation.

James Purnell: This information requested is not readily available and could be supplied only at a disproportionate cost to this Department. Attendance at speaking engagements by Ministers is undertaken in line with the guidance and principles set out in the ministerial code.

Disability Living Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of those receiving the mobility component of disability living allowance and declaring  (a) Parkinson's disease,  (b) renal disorders,  (c) skin diseases,  (d) stroke-related conditions and  (e) other debilitating conditions have had their awards reassessed in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is not available.

Employment and Support Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington on 20 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 6-7, how many of the additional staff recruited to administer the employment and support allowance will be customer-facing; how many will work on a  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time basis; how many will be on (i) fixed term and (ii) permanent contracts; in which offices they will work; and from what regions they have been recruited.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington on 20th October 2008, Official Report, columns 6-7, how many of the additional staff recruited to administer the employment and support allowance will be customer-facing; how many will work on an (a) full-time and (b) part-time basis; how many will be on (i) fixed term and (ii) permanent contracts; in which offices they will be working; and from what regions they have been recruited. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has not recruited additional staff specifically to administer Employment and Support Allowance. We have, however, recruited additional customer facing staff so that experienced staff could be released to undertake the training required to deliver Employment and Support Allowance. In total 2125 people were recruited. This breaks down into:
	Jobcentre Plus offices: 818
	Contact Centres: 325
	Benefit processing: 982
	Information broken down in to full and part-time or contract type could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	A breakdown by Region/Country is included the table below.
	
		
			   Contact centres  Benefit processing  Jobcentre plus offices 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 15 86 70 
			 West Midlands 16 122 125 
			 Wales 0 30 74 
			 South West 32 100 0 
			 South East 0 148 40 
			 Scotland 35 133 141 
			 North West 153 112 97 
			 North East 10 92 81 
			 London 0 44 79 
			 East Midlands 53 40 49 
			 East of England 11 75 62 
			 Total 325 982 818 
		
	
	All Employment and Support Allowance claims will be taken in one of the six Contact Centres that will handle Employment and Support Allowance customers' claims. This accounts for Wales, South East and London showing 0 for Employment and Support Allowance Contact Centres.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Employment: Health

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Government plans to publish its response to Dame Carol Black's review of the health of the working population; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: We are not yet in a position to confirm the publication date of the Government's response to Dame Carol Black's review of the health of the working age population.
	We expect to publish the response by the end of the year.

Housing Benefit

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in housing benefit in respect of tenants of local authority-owned properties in each month in 2007-08; and how much has been paid in each month in 2008-09 to date.

Kitty Ussher: Monthly housing benefit expenditure information in respect of local authority tenants is not available.
	The provisional out-turn for 2007-08 housing benefit expenditure in respect of local authority tenants is 5,452 million. The provisional out-turn for the total housing benefit expenditure for the same period is 15,732 million.
	Information for 2008-09 is currently not available.
	 Notes
	1. Information sourced from local authority claims for housing revenue account subsidy and housing benefit subsidy.
	2. Figures are not yet audited, and represent provisional out-turn for the year.
	3. Figures are total amounts paid to beneficiaries, irrespective of the source of funding, and include benefit spending reimbursed by DWP, spending on rent rebates financed within local authorities' housing revenue accounts, and benefit spending financed from local authorities' general funds.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the national average number of days taken by local authorities to process new housing benefit claims was in the latest period for which figures are available; and which 10 local authorities took the  (a) most and  (b) least average time to process such claims.

Kitty Ussher: The national average number of calendar days taken by local authorities to process new housing benefit claims was 27 days in 2007-08.
	The 10 local authorities that took the most time to process such claims in 2007-08 were: Weymouth and Portland, Newcastle upon Tyne, London borough of Hounslow, Blyth Valley, Blackpool, London borough of Ealing, East Devon, Rother, Luton, and Isle of Anglesey.
	The 10 local authorities that took the least time to process such claims in 2007-08 were: St Albans, South Norfolk, Maidstone, Crawley, Tendring, South Lanarkshire, Fenland, Sedgemoor, Chiltern, and Cannock Chase.
	 Notes:
	1. Housing benefit claim processing times are measured in calendar days from the day a claim is received to the date a decision is made.
	2. Claim processing performance data are supplied to DWP by local authorities and is un-audited.
	3. Not all local authorities provide all four quarters worth of datawhere a local authority has not provided data in a particular quarter, the data they have provided are multiplied to cover the appropriate period; this is then used to calculate the national average.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of non-means tested awards of incapacity benefit had a duration of  (a) less than 13 weeks,  (b) between 13 weeks and 28 weeks,  (c) between 28 weeks and one year,  (d) between one and two years,  (e) between two and three years and  (f) more than three years in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance are wholly non-means tested benefits. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportions of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claims by duration 
			   February 2008 (percentage) 
			 Below 13 weeks 4.8 
			 13 to 28 weeks 4.9 
			 28 weeks to one year 5.6 
			 One to two years 8.9 
			 Two to three years 7.1 
			 Three years and over 68.7 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. 2. Durations refer to the latest award only.  Source: DWP Information Directorate100 per cent. WPLS

Incapacity Benefit

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what alternative financial support will be available to drug users who have had their access to out-of-work benefits restricted for failing to complete drug treatment under the terms of the Government's Drug Strategy 2008 to 2011.

Tony McNulty: The 2008 drug strategy Drugs: protecting families and communities published in February, gave a commitment to explore the case for introducing a new regime which provides more tailored and personalised support than that which is currently provided by the existing incapacity benefit and jobseeker's allowance regime and that in return for benefits payments, claimants will have a responsibility to move successfully through treatment and into employment.
	A new regime for problem drug users was proposed in the welfare reform Green PaperNo one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility, Cm 7363, which was published in July.
	The public consultation has recently closed and we are currently considering representations received. We will respond to the consultation in due course.

Income Support

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unprocessed income support applications there were  (a) in each of the smallest geographical areas for which information is available and  (b) in total at the end of each quarter of each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Income Support

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average processing time was for income support applications in each quarter of each of the last five years  (a) in total and  (b) in each of the smallest geographical areas for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: From 2003 to 2006 the lowest geographical area for which figures are available was at a district level. From 2006 to date the lowest geographical area for which figures are available is at Benefit Delivery Centre (BDC) level.
	The information has been placed in the Library.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number and proportion of lone parents affected by the changes to the eligibility rules for income support coming into effect in November 2008; who will have moved into  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time work within (i) three, (ii) six, (iii) nine, (iv) 12, (v) 18 and (vi) 24 months of the changes coming into effect (A) in the UK and (B) broken down by the smallest geographical area for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: Estimates are not available broken down by geographical area or as to whether the work moved into will be part-time or full-time.
	Based on internal analysis carried out for departmental planning purposes, it has been estimated that of the approximately 280,000 lone parents on income support affected by the changes which start to be implemented from November 2008 (i.e. whose youngest child is aged 12 or over from November 2008, 10 or over from October 2009, or seven or over from October 2010):
	around 20,000 will move into work immediately after being affected by the changes;
	a further 15,000 will move into work within three months of being affected by the changes;
	a further 20,000 will move into work within six months of being affected by the changes;
	a further 10,000 will move into work within nine months of being affected by the changes;
	a further 10,000 will move into work within 12 months of being affected by the changes;
	a further 5,000 will move into work within 18 months of being affected by the changes; and,
	a further 5,000 will move into work within 24 months of being affected by the changes.
	These estimates include those lone parents who would have entered employment anyway. They relate only to existing income support lone parent claimants when the changes are introduced from November 2008.
	The estimates are dependent on a number of assumptions made by the Department including around the destinations of lone parents on income support after the changes come into effect, their behaviour on other benefits and the destinations of lone parents when they leave benefits.
	Some lone parents are exempt from these changes and will still be able to receive income support. These include lone parents: who are in receipt of carer's allowance; have a child for whom they are receiving the middle or higher rate care component of disability living allowance; who are fostering.
	We have commissioned a comprehensive evaluation of the changes and will monitor their impact over time. These estimates are sensitive to the particular assumptions made and will be fully tested in the evaluation.

Jobcentre Plus: Breastfeeding

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 325W, on Jobcentre Plus: breastfeeding, if he will direct Jobcentre Plus offices to adopt policies of welcoming breastfeeding mothers.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves, dated November 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 15th July 2008 Official Report column 325W on Jobcentre Plus, asking whether he will direct Jobcentre Plus offices to adopt policies that welcome breastfeeding mothers. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	My predecessor, Lesley Strathie asked for a review to take place and have new guidance communicated to our offices. This review will be completed by the end of this year.

Jobcentre Plus: Closures

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Jobcentre Plus offices in which regions are planned to be closed in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking which Jobcentre Plus offices, in which regions are planned to be closed in each of the next five years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	There are three Jobcentres which are currently open to the public and are planned to be closed in the next year. These are all within our London Region. The Jobcentres are: Brixton Hill, Feltham and Orpington and all three have been subject to a rigorous consultation process. Other than these, no decisions have yet been taken on further closures.

Jobcentre Plus: Lost Property

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many reported incidents of missing post from Jobcentre Plus clients have been received by Jobcentre Plus staff  (a) nationally and  (b) at the Preston office in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many items of missing post sent by Jobcentre Plus clients to Jobcentre Plus offices in the latest period for which figures are available have been located;
	(3)  what searches have been made to recover missing items of sensitive and confidential mail sent by the constituent of the hon. Member for West Lancashire, Ms Hilary Thompson, to the Jobcentre Plus office in Preston; what steps he is taking to make system changes to protect clients' data; and what assessment has been made of how Ms Thompson's items were initially lost.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your questions asking:
	how many reported incidents of missing post from Jobcentre plus clients have been received by Jobcentre plus staff (a) nationally and (b) at the Preston office in the last 12 months.
	how many items of missing post sent by jobcentre plus clients to jobcentre plus offices in the latest period for which figures are available have been located.
	what searches have been made to recover missing items of sensitive and confidential mail sent by the constituent of the hon. Member for West Lancashire Ms Hilary Thompson to the jobcentre plus office in Preston; what steps he is taking to make system changes to protect clients' data; and what assessment has been made of how Ms Thompson's items were initially lost.
	This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as acting Chief Executive.
	Information regarding the amount of missing post reported and located is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Jobcentre Plus treats customer data seriously and introduced new procedures last year in order to ensure tighter security across the business. The new procedures ensure the utmost safety of our data and enable staff to understand their position and take the most appropriate and correct action.
	The postal contracts Jobcentre Plus has in place are designed to provide for mail to be securely delivered to Jobcentre Plus sites. These services are reviewed and tested in order to ensure the service is both secure and effective. Our day to day security measures relating to our post opening procedures include the following:
	mail is processed in a separate and secure location designated for DWP mail;
	post opening is monitored by CCTV;
	there must be two or more employees processing mail; and
	there is a signing in/out register for processing staff and recording of valuable items and life documents.
	The postal contract enables us to query any missing post and for a thorough search to be performed if necessary.
	Given the personal nature of issues about your constituent, Hilary Thompson, my predecessor, Lesley Strathie has written to you separately regarding the issues you have raised. She explained that we have located two of the three items that your constituent reported as missing. However, despite a full investigation by ourselves and Haden, our post opening contractors, including a full office search, we have not been able to locate the third item of post.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on training Jobcentre Plus employees in each year since 1 April 2002, broken down by region.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long it took on average to process new jobseeker's allowance claims in each Jobcentre Plus district in each of the last 12 months.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how long it took, on average, to process new Jobseeker's Allowance claims in each Jobcentre Plus district in each of the last 12 months. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The time it takes to process Jobseeker's Allowance applications is measured by counting the average length of time taken to clear all claims processed within a set time period. This measure is referred to as the Average Actual Clearance Time.
	The information requested is not available by Jobcentre Plus district because Jobcentre Plus processes Jobseeker's Allowance claims in 70 Benefit Delivery Centres (BDC) across the country.
	Tables showing the average processing time (number of days) for Jobseeker's Allowance claims in each of the last 12 months in each BDC have been placed in the Library.

Maternity Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire of 8 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 612-13W, on maternity benefits, what  (a) advice and  (b) advance notification the Government received on the increased demand for maternity allowance in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your question on maternity benefits, what  (a) advice and  (b) advance notification the Government received on the increased demand for maternity allowance in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. This is a matter which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Maternity Allowance numbers are forecast by trends in the number of births in Great Britain. Past sets of births projections, which are produced by Office for National Statistics have shown a gradual rise in births. As a result Maternity Allowance forecasts predicted that Maternity Allowance claims would increase by around 5%.
	During the planning process for the centralisation of Maternity Allowance into four units, staffing numbers required were calculated based on that forecast increase in claims, with some productivity improvements, in line with the challenge faced by the whole organisation. In fact Maternity Allowance claims have increased by nearly a fifth this year.
	Although this increase was not forecast, we quickly put plans in place to increase staffing in line with the increase and to ensure work was efficiently distributed across the benefit delivery network. This has ensured arrears of claims which built up earlier in the year are now cleared and we have returned to our normal workload.

Minimum Wage

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of jobs advertised in jobcentres offered remuneration at the level of the national minimum wage on the latest date for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many and what percentage of jobs advertised in Jobcentres were at the National Minimum Wage on the last date for which figures are available. This is something that falls within my responsibilities as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	All vacancies handled by Jobcentre Plus are checked to ensure they meet National Minimum Wage requirements. Therefore, all vacancies advertised by Jobcentre Plus meet the requirements of the National Minimum Wage. We do not however, record information on the number or percentage of vacancies that are advertised specifically at the National Minimum Wage.

National Insurance: Foreigners

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance number registrations there were for non-UK citizens in each year since 2004, broken down by nationality.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 9 October 2008
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

National Insurance: Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2220W, on national insurance: immigrants, what steps have been taken to contact the individuals whose names have been used for the registration of a national insurance number which was then used by another person in the 1,873 cases referred to; and how many of those individuals have been contacted to date.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 6 October 2008
	In the 1,873 cases concerned, it was the national insurance number (NINO), not the name of the genuine holder to whom the NINO was allocated, that was quoted to the Security Industry Authority.
	From DWP investigations into this misuse of NINOs, there is no evidence that the identities of the genuine holders have been hijacked. Therefore, none of the individuals has been contacted.
	The system of checks introduced by the Security Industry Authority with the United Kingdom Border Agency in 2007 provides additional protection against identity fraud by people wishing to work in the security industry in breach of immigration laws.

National Insurance: Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2220W, on national insurance: immigrants, how many of the 3,275 cases have been referred to the Department for Work and Pensions Fraud Investigation Service for investigation; how many prosecutions have been brought; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Following the action already taken by the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the United Kingdom Border Agency to deal with persons suspected of working in the security industry in breach of immigration laws, 468 of the 3,275 cases where names or national insurance numbers given to the SIA were false have been referred to the Department for Work and Pensions Fraud Investigation Service. So far, no evidence of criminal activity against the DWP has been identified.

National Insurance: Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2220W, on national insurance: immigrants, how many of 1,873 national insurance numbers which existed on the Department's Customer Information System but which were registered in a different name had been issued since July 2006.

Tony McNulty: Of the 1,873 national insurance numbers provided to the Security Industry Authority where the name did not correspond to the name held on the Department's Customer Information System, all had been issued to genuine individuals and 35 had been issued after July 2006.

Pathways to Work

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of individuals with each type of incapacity who have been through the Pathways to Work programme and subsequently gained employment were still employed after six months in each month since the programme began; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available.

Pension Credit: Overpayments

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of pension credit overpayment his Department has taken to court to seek recovery of payments in each  (a) month of 2008-09 to date and  (b) year from 2003-04 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available on the number of civil actions taken in respect of pension credit cases.
	It is not normal practice to pursue enforcement of an overpayment through civil proceedings where a customer is in receipt of benefit. Typically people over pension age would be in receipt of benefit from which compulsory deductions can be taken to repay an overpayment.
	Where the customer is in receipt of benefit, deductions from benefit will be arranged compulsorily to recover an outstanding debt.
	In the exceptional circumstances where a person is no longer in receipt of benefit we would normally seek an agreement to pay by instalments. If no such agreement can be reached, then only as a last resort would civil proceedings be considered.

Pensioners: Council Tax Benefits

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioner households in  (a) Bexley and  (b) Greater London claiming council tax benefit.

Rosie Winterton: The most recent available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of pensioner households receiving council tax benefit 
			   London  London borough of Bexley 
			 August 1997 259,670 7,480 
			  Notes: 1. Data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.  2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.  4. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.  5. For this request pensioners are those who are aged 60 and over.  6. Data for Greater London refer to the London GOR.  Source:  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 2007.

Pensioners: Personal Savings

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners who were assessed as having savings insufficient for their retirement in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: It is the responsibility of individuals to determine the level of income in retirement they want. This will take account of their circumstances, their ability to save and their expectations for their retirement.
	For most people, income in retirement will come from a combination of the basic State Pension and a second pension or savings. Where that is not the case, the Government provides a minimum guaranteed income through the guarantee credit element of pension credit (previously the minimum income guarantee and income support for pensioners).
	The pension reforms being introduced in the Pensions Act 2007 and the current Pension Reform Bill will provide better access and coverage of the state provision, providing a solid foundation for private saving.

Pensions Disability and Carers Service

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library, a copy of organisational charts relating to the structure of the Pensions Disability and Carers Service below Board level.

Rosie Winterton: The following answer was provided to the hon. Member on 17 September 2008, however, due to a procedural error was not published in the  Official Report.
	The answer is as follows:
	The Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) was set up on 1 April 2008. To date we have appointed a chief executive, Terry Moran, and all of the executive and non-executive board directors. Details were published in the 2008-09 Business Plan for the Agency which is available in the House Library.
	The structure below board level currently remains as it was for the two former agencies, the Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service. Work is currently under way to agree the new structure for the new Agency and we expect that to be finalised in the autumn.

Redundancy: Females

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people made redundant in each of the last 12 months were women, broken down by  (a) profession,  (b) region and  (c) age.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 31 October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on what proportion of people made redundant in each of the last 12 months were women, broken down by (a) profession, (b) region and (c) age. (231656)
	Statistics of people made redundant in each month is not available; however the Labour Force Survey (LFS) does collect data on those made redundant in the last three months.
	Each of the tables provided estimate the proportion of those made redundant in the three months prior to their LFS interview who were women aged 16+, for the last four calendar quarters.
	Table 1 gives those made redundant by the occupation they were made redundant from. Table 2 gives those made redundant by their region of residence at the time of interview. Table 3 gives those made redundant by age at the time of interview.
	The estimates in the tables are derived from the LFS microdata weighted to estimates published in 2007. They are not entirely consistent with figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release which are weighted using more up to date population estimates. As with any survey, results are subject to a margin of uncertainty. The sample sizes supporting these estimates at the level of detail requested are very small and therefore should be treated with extreme caution.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of those made redundant( 1)  who were women aged 16 and over by the occupation( 2)  they were made redundant from, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			Total( 3)  Managers and Senior Officials  Professional Occupations  Associate Professionals and Technical Occupations  Administrative and Secretarial Occupations 
			 Q2 2008 42 31 * 31 68 
			 Q1 2008 30  * 43 63 
			 Q4 2007 40 46 * * 92 
			 Q3 2007 42 29 33 58 85 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			Skilled Trades Occupations  Personal Service Occupations  Sales and Customer Service Occupations  Process, Plant and Machine Operatives  Elementary Occupations 
			 Q2 2008 * 100 85 36 28 
			 Q1 2008 * * * * * 
			 Q4 2007 * * 57 * * 
			 Q3 2007 * * 75 29 23 
			 * Sample too small to provide a reliable estimate  = Zero (1) Includes those who have been made redundant in the three months prior to their Labour Force Survey interview. (2) Occupation in main job. (3) Includes those who did not state the occupation they worked in.  Note: The estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Labour Force Survey (ONS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of those made redundant( 1)  who were women aged 16 and over by region( 2) , United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			Total( 3)  North East  North West  Yorkshire and Humberside  East Midlands  West Midlands  Eastern 
			 Q2 2008 42 40 37 42 46 50 39 
			 Q1 2008 30 52 20 19 22 34 28 
			 Q4 2007 40 35 35 29 34 28 66 
			 Q3 2007 42 45 34 43 49 41 49 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			London  South East  South West  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			 Q2 2008 33 39 30 38 60 53 
			 Q1 2008 27 57 29 21 36 * 
			 Q4 2007 35 48 38 45 43 29 
			 Q3 2007 20 56 41 35 32 53 
			 * Sample too small to provide a reliable estimate  = Zero (1) Includes those who have been made redundant in the three months prior to their Labour Force Survey interview. (2) Government office region of residence. (3) Includes those who did not state their region of residence.  Note: The estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.)  Source: Labour Force Survey (ONS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Proportion of those made redundant( 1)  who were women aged 16 and over by age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Percentage 
			Total( 2)  16-17  18-24  25-34  35-49  50-59  60+ 
			 Q2 2008 42 * 49 37 43 41 30 
			 Q1 2008 30 * 28 28 37 23 34 
			 Q4 2007 40  42 40 45 39 21 
			 Q3 2007 42 47 41 40 42 43 45 
			 * Sample too small to provide a reliable estimate  = Zero (1) Includes those who have been made redundant in the three months prior to their Labour Force Survey interview. (2) Includes those who did not state their age. Note: The estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.) Source: Labour Force Survey (ONS)

Security Guards: Personal Records

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information is provided to his Department by the Security Industry Authority on the past and present employment of security guards; and what estimate he has made of the level of benefit fraud amongst workers in the security industry in the last three years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 30 October 2008
	Earlier this year the Security Industry Authority (SIA) provided the DWP with the available details of non-EEA security industry licence holders whose licences had been revoked following the recent exercise to check the immigration status of non-EEA nationals who had obtained SIA licences prior to the introduction of routine right to work checks on 2 July 2007. The information passed to DWP included details provided to the SIA by the licence applicants such as name, address, date of birth and national insurance number.
	Where DWP considered that the information given appeared to indicate a possible element of benefit fraud, the details were referred through to the DWP Fraud Investigation Service (FIS). Inquiries are still ongoing but no evidence of fraud has been found to date.
	The Department has not made any estimate of the level of benefit fraud among workers in the security industry. However, since April 2008 DWP FIS have conducted nine fraud drives relating to the security industry. These are still ongoing.

Social Fund

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time was for decisions to be taken on crisis loan applications in each of the last 10 years for which information is available.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Crisis loan applications in Great Britain 
			   Average actual clearance time (working days) 
			 1998-99 1.2 
			 1999-2000 1.2 
			 2000-01 1.2 
			 2001-02 1.2 
			 2002-03 1.2 
			 2003-04 1.3 
			 2004-05 1.3 
			 2005-06 1.4 
			 2006-07 1.5 
			 2007-08 1.7 
			  Notes:  1. The clearance time for an individual crisis loan application is measured in whole working days from the date the application is received until the date the decision is taken on whether to make a loan offer, plus, if a loan offer is made, the number of whole working days between receiving the applicant's reply to the offer and the recording of that reply. The minimum clearance time recorded for an individual crisis loan application is one working day, even if the application is cleared immediately.  2. Numbers are based on applications cleared in each year, not on applications received during that year.   Source:  DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Social Fund

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time was for decisions to be taken on crisis loan applications in  (a) the last two quarters and  (b) each month of 2008-09 to date or the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Crisis loan applications in Great Britain in the last two quarters 
			  Quarter  Average actual clearance time (working days) 
			 April 2008 to June 2008 1.9 
			 July 2008 to September 2008 1.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Crisis loan applications in Great Britain in the last six months 
			  2008  Average actual clearance time (working days) 
			 April 1.9 
			 May 1.8 
			 June 2.0 
			 July 1.9 
			 August 1.8 
			 September 1.7 
			  Notes: 1. The clearance time for an individual crisis loan application is measured in whole working days from the date the application is received until the date the decision is taken on whether to make a loan offer, plus, if a loan offer is made, the number of whole working days between receiving the applicant's reply to the offer and the recording of that reply. The minimum clearance time recorded for an individual crisis loan application is one working day, even if the application is cleared immediately. 2. Numbers are based on applications cleared in each period, not on applications received during that period.  Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Social Fund

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) crisis loan,  (b) budgeting loan and  (c) community care grant applications have been received in each (i) month of 2008-09 and (ii) in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Applications received in Great Britain each month 
			  Thousand 
			   Crisis loans  Budgeting loans  Community care grants 
			 April 2008 214 122 50 
			 May 2008 204 109 43 
			 June 2008 218 124 49 
			 July 2008 236 132 53 
			 August 2008 219 109 46 
			 September 2008 236 129 50 
		
	
	
		
			  Applications received in Great Britain each year 
			  Thousand 
			   Crisis loans  Budgeting loans  Community care grants 
			 2005-06 1,366 1,640 578 
			 2006-07 1,448 1,750 598 
			 2007-08 2,105 1,552 543 
			  Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Social Fund: Funerals

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government is taking to ensure that funeral payments from the Social Fund are made as quickly as possible.

Kitty Ussher: The administration of the social Fund is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter form Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what steps the Government is taking to ensure funeral payments from the Social Fund are made as quickly as possible. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We aim to process all claims as quickly as possible. For funeral payments there is an internal target of 16 working days. The actual average clearance time for September was 14.51 days with the year to date figure at 13.63 days. We believe this is well within the period funeral directors would allow for settlement of the bill.
	Jobcentre Plus has in recent years introduced a number of initiatives to help funeral directors. This includes allowing payments to be made before the funeral is held where a funeral director is willing to provide an invoice and there are no other outstanding issues. We have recently amended our guidance to make sure staff are aware of this provision. From November 2007 we have also introduced the facility to allow payments to be made directly into the bank account of the funeral director where the bill had not been paid. Previously the payment had been made by a cheque in the name of the funeral director and sent to the customer for them to pass onto the funeral director.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Social Security Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unprocessed  (a) jobseekers allowance,  (b) pension credit and  (c) incapacity benefit applications there were in (i) each of the smallest geographical areas for which information is available and (ii) in the UK at the end of each quarter in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Carers

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to point 6.15 in the Welfare Reform Green Paper, No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility, how much carers who move off income support on to modified jobseekers allowance (JSA) will receive, broken down into the basic rate of JSA and carers' premium.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 20 October 2008
	Under the proposals in the Green Paper carers who move from income support to a modified jobseeker's allowance would continue to receive the same level of benefit as they currently receive on income support. On current rates they would qualify for 60.50 basic rate jobseeker's allowance (if single and over age 25different rates apply to couples and those under 25) and 27.75 carer premium. In calculating the amount of jobseeker's allowance, carer's allowance and any other income they may have would be taken into account in exactly the same way as for income support.
	Those carers who move from income support to a modified jobseeker's allowance will not see any increase in the level of conditionality under this proposal.

Social Security Benefits: Databases

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that databases of those in receipt of benefit are kept up to date; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 29 October 2008
	The Department for Work and Pensions makes every effort to ensure that customers' data are accurate, up to date and relevant. We continue to simplify the means by which customers provide information without detriment to the quality of the data, for example through the Tell Us Once initiative which will enable a citizen to report a birth or death to Government only once by securely collecting the information and sharing appropriately with other Government Departments.
	We also seek responsible and lawful data sharing to maintain up-to-date information on our customers and ensure that this information is used effectively to make sure customers' benefits are accurate and timely.

Standard of Living

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the findings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's recent report Growing Unequal? insofar as they apply to the UK.

Tony McNulty: The report states that between 2000 and 2005, income inequality and poverty fell faster in the UK than in any other OECD country and that, for the first time since the 1980s, the UK poverty level is below the OECD average.
	The report also highlights the importance of policies to encourage more people into work, which reinforces this Government's message that for those who can, work is the best route out of poverty.
	We welcome these findings, though accept there is more for us to do. In particular, we remain fully committed to tackling both pensioner poverty and child poverty.

State Retirement Pensions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK have received the basic state pension in each year since its inception.

Rosie Winterton: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			   Number getting basic state pension 
			  Jarrow parliamentary constituency  
			 September 1999 15,600 
			 March 2000 15,500 
			 September 2000 15,700 
			 March 2001 15,300 
			 September 2001 15,500 
			 March 2002 15,800 
			 September 2002 15,700 
			 March 2003 15,700 
			 September 2003 15,900 
			 March 2004 15,900 
			 September 2004 15,900 
			 March 2005 16,100 
			 September 2005 16,400 
			 March 2006 16,600 
			 September 2006 16,800 
			 March 2007 16,700 
			 September 2007 16,800 
			   
			  South Tyneside local authority  
			 September 1999 30,000 
			 March 2000 29,900 
			 September 2000 30,100 
			 March 2001 29,500 
			 September 2001 29,900 
			 March 2002 30,000 
			 September 2002 30,000 
			 March 2003 29,700 
			 September 2003 29,900 
			 March 2004 29,900 
			 September 2004 29,800 
			 March 2005 30,000 
			 September 2005 30,400 
			 March 2006 30,300 
			 September 2006 30,600 
			 March 2007 30,500 
			 September 2007 30,700 
			   
			  North East Government office region  
			 September 1999 464,300 
			 March 2000 468,000 
			 September 2000 470,400 
			 March 2001 469,300 
			 September 2001 471,600 
			 March 2002 470,500 
			 September 2002 471,600 
			 March 2003 471,100 
			 September 2003 473,300 
			 March 2004 473,500 
			 September 2004 477,900 
			 March 2005 478,500 
			 September 2005 480,800 
			 March 2006 482,700 
			 September 2006 485,900 
			 March 2007 490,100 
			 September 2007 493,700 
			   
			  Great Britain  
			 March 1995 9,460,300 
			 September 1995 9,539,200 
			 March 1996 9,566,400 
			 September 1996 9,671,400 
			 March 1997 9,691,300 
			 September 1997 9,791,500 
			 March 1998 9,830,200 
			 September 1998 n/a 
			 March 1999 9,929,400 
			 September 1999 10,003,800 
			 March 2000 10,024,200 
			 September 2000 10,060,200 
			 March 2001 10,077,800 
			 September 2001 10,136,800 
			 March 2002 10,139,700 
			 September 2002 10,197,500 
			 March 2003 10,225,900 
			 September 2003 10,291,600 
			 March 2004 10,313,500 
			 September 2004 10,408,900 
			 March 2005 10,450,300 
			 September 2005 10,502,100 
			 March 2006 10,513,800 
			 September 2006 10,581,700 
			 March 2007 10,659,900 
			 September 2007 10,778,700 
			 n/a = Not available  Notes: 1. Data are taken from a 5 per cent. extract of Pension Service Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Earlier information relating to the number of people in GB receiving retirement pension (not basic alone) is available in the annual publication Social Security Statistics which is available in the House Library.  Source: DWP Information Directorate

State Retirement Pensions: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received late payment of their state pension in the last 12 months in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available.

Unemployment

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely level of unemployment on 1 January 2009.

Tony McNulty: By long-standing convention the Department does not predict future levels of unemployment, but we have been planning for the impact of potentially higher levels of jobseeker's allowance claims in the coming months.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer Question 225138, tabled on 3 October 2008, on the number of national insurance registrations granted since 2004.

Tony McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 3 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 4-5W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to Question 228031 for named day answer on 20 October 2008 on the re-organisation of Jobcentre Plus in the South East of England, tabled by the hon. Member for Aylesbury.

Tony McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 261W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply substantively to question 228037, on Sunley House, Aylesbury, tabled by the hon. Member for Aylesbury on 14 October 2008 for answer on 20 October 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 261W.

TREASURY

Arni Mathiesen

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Icelandic Trade Minister.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 4 November 2008
	 Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with their counterparts in other countries and with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Bank Notes

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Bank of England plans to produce bilingual banknotes as part of its Welsh language plan.

Ian Pearson: The Bank of England has no current plans to produce bilingual banknotes.

Bank Services

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action in relation to the activities of Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Limited the UK authorities took prior to the collapse of the company.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 16 October 2008
	 Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander's UK subsidiary was regulated by the FSA, who was also in regular contact with the Icelandic regulator, FME.
	As Kaupthing's position deteriorated the tripartite authorities worked intensively to find solutions to the firm's problems. On 8 October the FSA decided that Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Ltd. no longer met the FSA's threshold conditions and the firm went into administration.
	The Government have exercised powers to protect savers' money by transferring Kaupthing's internet savings business, Edge, to ING Direct.

Bank Services

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that all foreign banks taking deposits in the UK  (a) are covered by British compensation schemes and  (b) contribute to the costs of those schemes.

Ian Pearson: All UK subsidiaries of foreign banks and all UK branches of banks from countries outside the European economic area (EEA) which take deposits are already required to participate in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
	Under the EC Deposit-guarantee Schemes Directive, UK branches of banks from other EEA states are covered by the bank's home state deposit-guarantee scheme.

Bank Services

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Isle of Man government on compensation for depositors, bond holders and pension schemes who had money in Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man);
	(2)  if he will meet representatives of the Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man) Action Group.

Ian Pearson: Arrangements relating to Kaupthing Singer and Freidlander Isle of Man (KSF IOM) area matter for the Government of the Isle of Man. KSF IOM is not a subsidiary of KSF in the UK, but of the Icelandic parent company. Oversight of KSF IOM is the responsibility of the Isle of Man's Financial Supervision Commission; and deposits with KSF IOM will be subject to the Isle of Man's Deposit Compensation Scheme.

Bank Services

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the transcript of his telephone conversation with the Icelandic Finance Minister on 7 October 2008 about compensation for British depositors in Icelandic banks.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with their counterparts in other countries and with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Bank Services

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what information he received about the  (a) solvency and  (b) liquidity of Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Limited prior to the declaration by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) that it was in default; and what action (i) his Department and (ii) the FSA has taken against the company's assets;
	(2)  under whose authority and under what powers the Financial Services Authority (FSA) declared Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Limited to be in default of its regulatory requirements; and what action  (a) his Department and  (b) the FSA took as a consequence;
	(3)  for what reason Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Limited was placed in administration;
	(4)  what information he had about the financial state of Icelandic banks in the period before September 2008.

Ian Pearson: The FSA intensified its supervision of deposit-taking by Icelandic banks (including through increased contact with firms, more frequent visits and enhanced reporting requirements) from the beginning of 2008. As the economic situation deteriorated during the year and particularly since September, the FSA worked increasingly with the banks concerned. As the memorandum of understanding between HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the FSA sets out, the FSA informs the Bank of England and HM Treasury of its concerns on a regular basis.
	On 8 October the FSA determined that Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Ltd. no longer met the FSA's threshold conditions and the firm went into administration. The FSCS was triggered by the FSA as it determined that KSF was unable or likely to be unable to satisfy claims against it. These decisions were taken by the FSA on its own authority under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA).
	On the same day, the Treasury, under the Banking (Special Provisions) Act, transferred the deposit book of Edge accounts to ING Direct. The transfer of retail deposits was funded by the FSCS and the Treasury. The remainder of KSF was placed into administration following due legal process.

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received since January 2008 on the level of  (a) bank charges and  (b) credit card charges; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: This is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading which is responsible for consumer credit legislation.

Banks: Disclosure of Information

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the minutes of board meetings of banks  (a) in temporary public ownership and  (b) recapitalised with public funds will be published.

Ian Pearson: It is a matter for the management of the banks concerned to release specific business information and updates in line with their regulatory obligations and provide any required disclosures in their audited annual report and accounts.

Banks: Disclosure of Information

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what transparency regulations govern the operations of  (a) bank holding companies and  (b) investment banks in the UK.

Ian Pearson: The EU has established regulatory standards on transparency of financial reporting for companies (including bank holding companies and banks); and those companies admitted to trading on a regulated market are subject to some additional rules. The standards are set out in directives including the Transparency Directive; Prospectus Directive; Market Abuse Directive; 4(th) Company Law Directive, 7(th) Company Law Directive. These directives have been implemented in rules made under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, and rules made by the FSA, including the Listing Rules, the Prospectus Rules, and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules.
	Banks and bank holding companies are also subject to the requirements in Council Directive 86/635/EEC on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions.
	This directive has been implemented in the UK in regulations made under the Companies Act 2006, including the Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Schedule 2 of those regulations contains provisions relating specifically to banking companies. Parent companies of banking groups must prepare group accounts in accordance with schedule 6 to the regulations, as modified by part 2 of that Schedule.

Banks: Disclosure of Information

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy that regulatory standards on transparency of reporting by investment banks and banking entities are no lower in the UK than in other jurisdictions.

Ian Pearson: The EU has established regulatory standards on transparency of financial reporting for companies; and those companies admitted to trading on a regulated market are subject to some additional rules. The standards are set out in directives such as the Transparency Directive and certain Company Law Directives, and, in relation to banks Council Directive 86/635/EEC on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions. The UK fully complies with such requirements.

Banks: Disclosure of Information

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Reporting Council over reporting standards for banks; and if he will bring forward proposals to strengthen the financial reporting regime for  (a) investment banks,  (b) hedge funds and  (c) other financial institutions.

Ian Pearson: The Government have been, and continue to be, in close and regular discussion with other governments, international organisations and regulators to seek consistency and appropriateness of financial reporting regimes. The Government believe that global problems demand global solutions and that a UK-only approach to the setting of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) would not be an appropriate course of action.

Banks: Government Shareholding

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a formal condition for the purchase in Lloyds TSB plc, HBOS plc and RBS Group plc by the Government of 28 billion in common stock is a commitment immediately to restore and maintain the availability and active marketing of competitively priced mortgage lending, other than in the non-conforming market, over the next three years at a level at least equivalent to that of 2007.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 23 October 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Chancellor on 13 October 2008,  Official Re port , columns 540-41.

Banks: Incentives

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether directors of banks participating in the recapitalisation scheme are entitled to receive bonuses in the form of shares in the present financial year.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 21 October 2008
	As part of their investment, the Government have agreed a range of commitments with banks accessing the capitalisation scheme. The Government expect that no cash bonuses will be paid to board members in the current year.
	In the current year, no bonus will be available for board members in RBS and HBOS, whereas for Lloyds stock bonuses are permissible subject to prohibition on sale until 2009.

British Bankers Association

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials in his Department have had with the British Bankers Association in each week since June 2007; what the (i) location and (ii) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; who attended each meeting; what the cost was of each meeting, broken down by (A) administrative and (B) other costs; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials meet representatives of the British Bankers Association to discuss a wide range of issues as need arises. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Cheshire Building Society

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to protect the deposits of investors in the  (a) Cheshire and  (b) Derbyshire Building Society following the takeover by the Nationwide Building Society; whether the 50,000 guarantee for individual deposits in financial institutions will apply to deposits in the (i) Cheshire, (ii) Derbyshire and (iii) Nationwide Building Society after the takeover as it did before the takeover; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 October 2008
	On the merger of two or more building societies, the remaining society is a single authorised entity and the 50,000 compensation limit applies in relation to each individual investor for the total of their deposits in that society. This is irrespective of the number of predecessor societies in which they held accounts or of the trading names under which the accounts are subsequently held. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for making the rules of the financial services compensation scheme (FSCS). The FSA is considering whether the compensation scheme should continue to offer compensation on a per authorised entity basis or should move to a per brand (trading name) or per account basis, and the treatment of temporary high balances (for example those arising after a building society merger). If appropriate, the FSA will consult on specific proposals in due course.

Child Trust Fund

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the planned expenditure on the Child Trust Fund is in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the Child Trust Fund Scheme in each year from 2007-08 to 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Actual and forecasts of expenditure and administrative costs for the years 2007-08 to 2012-13 are published in tables 8 and 9 of the 2008 Child Trust Fund Annual Statistical Report published on 6 November 2008, available at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/statistical-report-2008.pdf.
	The Government have not published CTF forecasts beyond 2012-13.

Delivery Unit

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) headcount and  (b) budget of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit is for 2008-09.

Yvette Cooper: The PMDU budget for 2008-09 is 4.17 million.
	The headcount at the end of October was 38.

Departmental Catering

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many canteens his Department has; what their names are; whether they serve food made from genetically modified ingredients; and if he will place in the Library copies of the menus for each canteen from the latest week for which menus are available.

Angela Eagle: There is a single staff restaurant in 1 Horse Guards Road which serves occupants of both this building and 100 Parliament Street. It has not been named.
	GM ingredients are not used in food served in the restaurant.
	Copies of the latest menu have been placed in the Library.

Departmental Databases

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what types of financial information are stored on his Department's COINS database.

Yvette Cooper: The COINS database holds financial information on Departments' spending plans, in-year forecasts and outturn. Each of these is reported against the budgetary, parliamentary estimates and national accounts frameworks, with outturn additionally reported against the resource accounts framework.

Equitable Life Assurance Society

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce the possibility of circumstances similar to those which affected Equitable Life from recurring.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 22 October 2008
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1000W.

Financial Services Authority

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to make the Financial Services Authority more accessible to the general public; what recent discussions he has had with the Board of the Financial Services Authority on this issue; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is independent from the Government although subject to the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The FSA is already accessible to the general public in a number of ways. These include the FSA's consumer helpline, the FSA's consumer website (Moneymadeclear) and the FSA's annual public meeting.

Financial Services Authority

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the effectiveness of the Financial Services Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement on financial markets made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 22-23, which announced that Adair Turner, the chairman of the FSA, had been asked to make recommendations for reforms.

Financial Services Compensation Scheme

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what payments are owed or outstanding to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme from  (a) Bradford and Bingley and  (b) Northern Rock.

Ian Pearson: Details of Bradford and Bingley's liabilities to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in respect of the sale of the company's retail deposit book to Abbey National plc were set out in a written ministerial statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 13 October 2008.
	Northern Rock is a member of the FSCS and so will be liable for the levies to cover the FSCS's costs in the same way as other deposit taking institutions. It is not possible to estimate these liabilities at this point.

Foreign Relations: Iceland

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what requests for help and support the government of Iceland made  (a) to him and  (b) to the EU in the six months before 7 October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
	As regards requests for help that the Government of Iceland may have made to the EU, this is a matter for the Government of Iceland.

Inheritance Tax

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department issues on the application of inheritance tax to individuals who are married under the provisions of Sharia law outside the UK.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 November 2008,  Official Report, column 99W.
	Inheritance tax spouse exemption is dependent on the transferor and transferee being party to a marriage that the law of the country in which it takes place recognises as legally valid. That is the case for all marriages outside the UK and the relevant conditions depend on the law of the relevant country.

Local Government Finance: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the balance between revenues raised and public expenditure in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) Dacorum against the balances of other local authorities of a similar size and profile; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Data on revenue raised from most taxes is not available at local authority level. The Government do not publish public expenditure data disaggregated any further than country and region level.

Members: Correspondence

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Woking of 28 June, 28 July and 19 September 2008 on Nina Hassall.

Yvette Cooper: I replied to the hon. Member on 29 September and am sending him a copy of my letter.

National Insurance

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the rate of national insurance contributions.

Stephen Timms: The Government keep all tax and benefit rates under review as part of the Budget process. National insurance contribution rates are normally announced at the pre-Budget report.
	However, the Government have already announced that they intend to increase the price of class 3 contributions to ensure that changes allowing some individuals to buy an additional six years over and above those permitted under the current time limits is overall cost neutral. The initial modelling suggests that the price will increase by around half. This time limited proposal will apply to those who reach state pension age between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2015 and who already have 20 qualifying years (taking into account Home Responsibilities Protection) on their national insurance record.

Personal Savings: Protection

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government is taking to protect the assets of British citizens living in the Isle of Man whose savings were deposited with Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander Ltd.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 20 October 2008
	Arrangements for depositors in banks in the Isle of Man are a matter for the Government of the Isle of Man.
	Deposits with Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man, will be subject to the Isle of Man deposit compensation scheme.
	In line with usual constitutional arrangements, the Government will represent the Crown Dependencies in its negotiations with the Icelandic Authorities.

Political Parties: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice HM Revenue and Customs has given to hon. Members on whether donations or payments made to the Parliamentary Labour Party by hon. Members are tax-deductible in the last two years.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs provides guidance to hon. Members about the tax treatment of donations for party political purposes in the booklet MPs, Ministers and Tax, a copy of which is sent to all Members at the start of each Parliament.

Public Expenditure

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a date has been set for publication of the Government's factual paper on the Barnett Formula.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 729W.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff  (a) on a full-time equivalent basis,  (b) on a headcount basis and  (c) as a proportion of total HM Revenue and Customs staff in HM Revenue and Customs are employed in an enforcement role.

Stephen Timms: The term 'enforcement' has been used to cover different activities in HMRC and the two predecessor departments. There are 6,195 (headcount) staff in HM Revenue and Customs who have the power of arrest, including uniformed staff now working with the UK Border Agency. That is 7 per cent. of the total staff in HM Revenue and Customs.
	The FTE figure for these staff is not available.

Social Security Benefits

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department issues on the provision of benefits to couples with children where the couple was married under the provisions of Sharia law outside the UK.

Stephen Timms: Child benefit is paid to the person responsible for the child. Tax credits are not social security benefits but are part of the tax system. Guidance on the definition of a couple, including a married couple, for tax credits purposes is published on HMRC's website and is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/tctmanual/TCTM 06100.htm

Tax Credit: Foreigners

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many  (a) non-UK citizens and  (b) non-UK EU citizens have received each type of tax credit in each year since their inception;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount of each type of tax credit paid to  (a) non-UK citizens and  (b) non-UK EU citizens in each year since their inception.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available. The number of A8 nationals claiming tax credits is published quarterly in the Home Office Accession Monitoring Report at:
	www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_report/.

Taxation: Inspections

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the budget for the training of tax compliance investigatory staff in the large scale business service was in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and what budget is planned for 2008-09.

Stephen Timms: Training for tax professional staff in the Large Business Service is provided both centrally and locally. Costs of central training are not broken down by directorate, but in this case an estimate is provided based on total departmental spend.
	The total budget for the training of tax professional staff in the Large Business Service is estimated at:
	
		
			
			 2006-07 693,952 
			 2007-08 799,213 
			 2008-09 (1)823,303 
			 (1) Forecast.

Tobin Tax

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the introduction of a Tobin tax on sterling currency transactions.

Stephen Timms: The Tobin tax is a long-established proposal. The Government have previously studied the technical implications of a proposed tax on sterling currency transactions and reached the view that there would be economic distortions across a range of activities beyond just the foreign exchange markets, the cost of which would be likely to far outweigh the relative costs of raising finance via other mechanisms that Governments use.

Transfer Pricing

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was collected by HM Revenue and Customs through investigations into transfer pricing in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The yield from transfer pricing inquiries on large business was 118 million in 2003-04, 138 million in 2004-05, 230 million in 2005-06 and 473 million in 2006-07. Information is not yet finalised for 2007-08.
	Information is not available for years before 2003 because in many cases the records do not distinguish between yield from transfer pricing and yield from other areas.
	The yield from transfer pricing inquiries on smaller businesses was 48 million in 2004-05, 61 million in 2005-06 and 66 million in 2006-07.
	Information is not readily available for other periods.

VAT: Small Businesses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many value added tax  (a) surcharge liability notices and  (b) surcharge liability extension notices have been served on small and medium-sized businesses by HM Revenue and Customs in the last four financial quarters by; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs issued the following number of surcharge liability notices and surcharge liability extension notices in respect of each of the last four financial quarters for which information is available.
	
		
			  Financial quarter ended  Surcharge liability notices  Surcharge liability extension notices 
			 31 August 2007 51,035 141,796 
			 30 November 2007 51,783 147,593 
			 29 February 2008 51,358 145,717 
			 31 May 2008 60,909 153,798 
		
	
	Reliable information is not readily available on the notices issued to businesses of different size and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households have been required to repay received tax credits following a failure to finalise their award in each of the last three years; how many of these were required to repay the full amount of the award; and what the  (a) average and  (b) maximum amount required in repayment was in each of those years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 27 October 2008
	Information on the number of families who incurred finalised overpayments in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 because they failed to renew their award is shown in the following table, along with the average overpayment.
	
		
			  Families who incurred finalised overpayments due to non-renewal 
			   Number of families  Average overpayment  value () 
			 2004-05 131,000 1,649 
			 2005-06 143,000 1,443 
			 2006-07 123,000 1,269 
		
	
	Information on the recovery of these overpayments is available only at a disproportionate cost.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks of 18 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1353W, on Afghanistan: reconstruction, what studies the Stabilisation Unit has conducted into lessons learned for his Department from UK stabilisation and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Since December 2007, the Stabilisation Unit has published three Stabilisation Issues Notes covering security sector and the rule of law, human rights, and demobilisation, disarmament and re-integration. It will shortly publish notes on public administration, strategic communications, and private sector development. These notes consider how to engage on these issues in conflict-affected environments. All draw heavily on lessons identified from Afghanistan and in particular Helmand Province.
	All of these documents are or will be available on the Stabilisation Unit's website:
	www.stabilisationunit.gov.uk

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) reports contingent liabilities annually to the House through its resource accounts, which include liabilities not required to be reported directly to Parliament. The most recent accounts for 2007-08 were laid before the House on 14 July 2008 (HC 672). No other contingent liabilities have been reported directly to the House in the last five years.
	DFID's only non-departmental public body is the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, which reports annually to Parliament through me. Its most recent report was issued in June 2008 and copies were placed in the Library of the House.

Developing Countries: Non-profit Making Associations

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to spread best practice of social enterprises in low income countries; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) understands social enterprises to be businesses set up to tackle a social or environmental need, in which profits are reinvested to sustain and further their mission for positive change. Many producer co-operatives, self-help groups and fairtrade producer groups could be considered as social enterprises. DFID's country programmes work with a range of these and DFID centrally has supported the fairtrade movement for many years.
	As part of a donor consortium, DFID is currently funding the global Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) and one of its member bodies, the UK Fairtrade Foundation, to help rapidly expand the reach of fairtrade through bringing many more poor producers, particularly from low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, into fairtrade markets. Bringing producers into fairtrade certification involves informing producers about the standards required, including that a democratically-run group must exist that decides how to invest for social purposes the 'fairtrade premium' they will receive. Our funding helps support specific work such as the FLO 'Strategic Review' currently under way, that considers progress against the objectives of providing market access on good terms for poorer producers in developing countries, to identify and share what is working and what remains a challenge.

Humanitarian Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 668-69W, on humanitarian aid, where the humanitarian funding guidelines may be obtained; how much funding has been allocated to the activities described in relation to Bangladesh; and what projects in  (a) Sierra Leone and  (b) Nigeria his Department is supporting on (i) reducing the risk of disaster, (ii) preventing the re-emergence of conflict and (iii) fostering a greater adherence to aid effectiveness principles.

Michael Foster: The 23 principles of good humanitarian donorship are listed in full on the Good Humanitarian Donorship website:
	http://www.goodhumanitariandonorship.org/
	The Department for International Development's (DFID) humanitarian policy is available on the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/humanitarian-policy.pdf
	DFID's Humanitarian Funding Guidelines for NGOs are available on the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/funding/11696-Humanitarian4th.pdf
	The UK has committed funding in Bangladesh as follows:
	(a) Disaster preparedness and management: 6 million over six years from 2003 to 2009, to support the Government of Bangladesh to develop a comprehensive disaster management programme.
	(b) Funding of relief operations: over 9 million for Floods and Cyclone Sidr relief in 2007, of which up to 4.75 million was provided to NGOs, and 3.6 million channelled through UNDP to local NGOs.
	(c) Early recovery and assessments. on reconstruction/rehabilitation: Up to 8.5 million for early recovery Floods 2007 and Cyclone Sidr programmes.
	The DFID programme in Sierra Leone for 2008-09 totals 40 million. This includes DFID core budget support to the Office for National Security with support to its disasters management department. On preventing conflict, our justice sector development programme provides support to the police. We are working with other donors to support the government to develop a new poverty reduction strategy. This will provide an improved basis for donors to align their support and to work in partnership.
	The DFID programme in Nigeria for 2008-09 totals 100 million. DFID Nigeria helps reduce the risk of disaster and the likely impacts through, for example, health programmes, which help to prevent health disasters by strengthening monitoring for Avian Influenza, increasing levels of immunisation against polio, and reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS. To help prevent the re-emergence of conflict, DFID, via the Conflict Prevention Pool, will contribute 900,000 this financial year towards conflict prevention activities in Nigeria, including a partnership with Action Aid to promote community-level conflict prevention. DFID Nigeria has also supported civil society activities to reduce the risk of election-related conflict and is funding a 2 million programme to reduce tensions in the Niger Delta by promoting greater government transparency and accountability. DFID Nigeria's programme is closely aligned with the Federal Government's National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). DFID Nigeria has worked in a joint Country Partnership Strategy with the World Bank and USAID since 2005, and is leading efforts to further harmonise donor activity in Nigeria in a Nigeria Development Partner Framework, involving all major donors.

India: Internally Displaced Persons

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has offered to  (a) the Indian federal government and  (b) the Orissa state government to assist the police and judicial authorities in ending the religious violence in Orissa.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development has not offered assistance. Neither the government of India nor the government of Orissa has sought bilateral assistance for the police and judicial authorities. This is in keeping with our standard policy.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) does provide significant support to the federal government, and to state governments, including Orissa. This is focused on supporting long-term development priorities, with a particular emphasis on strengthening systems to provide services, such as health and education, to poor people.

India: Internally Displaced Persons

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has offered to  (a) the Indian federal government and  (b) the Orissa state government to (i) help return displaced people to their homes in safety and (ii) repair homes destroyed and damaged in the recent religious violence in Orissa.

Michael Foster: The Government of India have not asked for bilateral assistance and are dealing with the situation. Accordingly, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not offered assistance either to the Indian federal government or to the Orissa state government.
	According to official figures, 24,000 people have been displaced by the violence, of which 10,000 have now returned home. The remaining 14,000 people are being housed in relief camps set up and managed by the Government of Orissa.

India: Internally Displaced Persons

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of conditions in the relief camps in Orissa state for people displaced by religious violence.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not made an assessment of the conditions in the relief camps. Neither the government of India, nor the government of Orissa has requested such an assessment. It would not be appropriate or possible for DFID to do this without such a request.
	According to official figures, around 24,000 people have been displaced by the recent violence in Orissa. The government of Orissa have established, and maintain, a number of relief camps to house these people until they are able to return to their homes.

India: Internally Displaced Persons

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance his Department has provided to people displaced by the recent-based violence in Orissa state, India.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided humanitarian assistance for those displaced in Orissa. The government of India has not requested bilateral assistance to deal with this situation.

International Assistance

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with Ministers from countries contributing to the Global Fund on the transparency and effectiveness of the Global Fund's accounting and financial monitoring systems.

Douglas Alexander: Officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) are in frequent contact with donors to the fund and other board membersimplementing countries, civil society organisations from both the north and south, communities living with the three diseases, the private sector and private foundations, and the fund's secretariat. The fund's accounting and financial monitoring systems are extremely important given the size of the UK's support to the fund, and we take them very seriously. We consult with the members of the fund's finance and audit committee, and the fund's chief financial officer, on the fund's accounts and budgets.
	We also strongly support the Independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which carries out oversight for investigations, audit and inspection of activities and transactions, to assess the effectiveness of internal controls and to identify areas that will enable the Global Fund to achieve better results. The OIG has identified four priority areas, namely:
	Providing assurance on grant processes;
	Providing assurance on other main business processes;
	Supporting the managerial and governance initiatives, and
	Strengthening the office of the OIG.
	I am due to meet Professor Kazatchkine on 24 November to get an update from the executive director on progress to date and prospects for the fund over the next five years.

Overseas Aid: Education

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of the Department's emergency humanitarian budget he expects to spend on education over the next 12 months; if he will meet Save the Children to discuss its report, Delivering Education for Children in Emergency: A Key Building Bloc for the Future.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) humanitarian policy is to respond to crises as they occur. DFID does not plan emergency humanitarian funding in advance. We seek to ensure that priority life-saving needs are met in emergency situations, taking into account the capacities of the country affected. In an emergency, education is considered alongside other humanitarian needs and is funded by donors in situations where it is considered high priority by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the affected country.
	I would be happy to meet with Save the Children's executive director to discuss DFID's support to education in emergencies.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effect of UK development assistance to Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development's (DFID) support to Somalia since 2004 has been implemented through the UN and NGOs, concentrating on basic services, governance and humanitarian relief. Our support is:
	Helping to combat malaria through distribution of bed nets (120,000 in Somaliland);
	Improving education quality through distribution of school books and provision of alternative education programmes (up from 40,000 to 70,000 enrolled in Somaliland);
	Providing much needed food aid (supporting the equivalent of 83,000 people over the last four years);
	Helping sustain prospects for peace (essential for a long-term solution to poverty in Somalia) through technical support to the peace processes; and
	Building the capacity of Transitional Federal Institutions and the Somaliland authorities (for example, financial management systems).

Swaziland: HIV Infection

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government is taking to promote health care and education in relation to HIV and AIDS to  (a) women and  (b) men in Swaziland.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development's (DFID) support to Swaziland is through its Southern Africa Regional Programme. As part of this, DFID is providing 19 million (2007-11) to community organisations which address health issues through the regional Behaviour Change Communication Programme (BCC).
	The BCC provides funding of over 500,000 each year in Swaziland through the South African non-governmental organisation Soul City and local partner Lusweti, to provide popular and easily understood information on health and HIV and AIDS. This programme reaches over 80 per cent. of adults and young women and men in Swaziland.

Voluntary Work

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1166W, on voluntary work, what assessment his Department has made of the cost-effectiveness of Platform2's use of British Airways flights.

Douglas Alexander: The Platform2 programme was launched in February 2008. It is implemented on behalf of the Department for International Development (DFID) by Christian Aid in partnership with Islamic Relief and the British Universities North America Club (BUNAC). A mid-term review of this programme, including cost-effectiveness issues, will be carried out in mid-2009 with a final review due in early 2011.

Zimbabwe: International Assistance

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the safeguards in place to ensure that the Government's contribution to the Global Fund's recent donation to Zimbabwe will be used for the purposes for which it was intended;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the level of fiduciary risk carried by the Global Fund in relation to its recent donation to Zimbabwe.

Douglas Alexander: A recent independent audit of the Global Fund's financial management arrangements in Zimbabwe reported that $7.3 million, from a previous grant, had been withheld from intended recipients by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Following demands by the Global Fund, this money has now been released back to the commercial banks where the Global Fund principal recipients hold accounts. A further $500 million, recently approved in principle by the Global Fund board, will only go ahead when a fully accountable funding mechanism is secured.
	The UK, along with other donors, has actively encouraged and been fully supportive of the audit and the tougher stance taken by the Global Fund. Funding of this type is desperately needed in Zimbabwe, but it must be delivered through mechanisms which ensure that it reaches deserving people on the ground.

Zimbabwe: International Assistance

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the level of corruption affecting the Zimbabwe Reserve Bank.

Douglas Alexander: Under current circumstances and management arrangements, we do not consider the Reserve Bank (RBZ) of Zimbabwe to be, in any way, a credible partner in our humanitarian and social protection programmes. The RBZ is not open to scrutiny: its operations remain unaccountable and appear to be aimed primarily at propping up the ruling elite, especially through the allocation of scarce foreign exchange. The Department for International Development (DFID) does not transfer funds to the government of Zimbabwe and no payments are made through the Reserve Bank.